The Twelve Traditions of Nicotine Anonymous

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon Nicotine Anonymous 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 Nicotine Anonymous membership is a desire to stop using nicotine.

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

  5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the nicotine addict who still suffers.

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

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

  8. Nicotine Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

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

  10. Nicotine Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the Nicotine Anonymous 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, TV, and films.

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



Copyright 1990, 1992 by Nicotine Anonymous The Twelve Traditions reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Traditions does not mean that AA is affiliated with this program. AA is a program of recovery from alcoholism - use of the Twelve Traditions in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after AA, but which address other problems, does not imply otherwise.