Twelve Traditions of Addictive Eaters Anonymous

1.  Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AEA unity.

 

2.  For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.  Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

 

3.  The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop addictive eating.

 

4.  Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AEA as a whole.

 

5.  Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the addictive eater who still suffers.

 

6.  An AEA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AEA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

 

7.  Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

 

8.  Addictive Eaters Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centres may employ special workers.

 

9. AEA, as such, ought never be organised; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

 

10.  Addictive Eaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AEA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

 

11.  Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and other public media of communication.

 

12.  Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

 

The Twelve Traditions are reprinted and adapted with the permission of AA World Services, Inc.  Permission to adapt the Traditions does not in any way imply affiliation or endorsement of this organization.