What Do 12 Steps NOT Do?
WE DO NOT:
- Furnish initial motivation for people to recover, solicit members, recruit members, or try to persuade anyone to join any 12 step program;
- Keep membership records or case histories;
- Follow up or try to control its members;
- Make medical or psychiactric diagnoses or prognoses;
- Provide hospitalisation, drugs, drying-out services, nursing services, or any medical or psychiatric treatment;
- Provide spiritual or religious services;
- Engage in any education, propaganda, controversy about any substances, or behaviors, or any other matters;
- Provide domestic or vocational counselling;
- Provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, money or other such services;
- Accept money for its services or contributions from non-A.A. sources;
- Engage in or sponsor any research;
- Join "councils" of social agencies (though many members and service offices do cooperate with them);
- Provide letters of reference to parole boards, attorneys, court officials, schools, businesses, social agencies, or any other organization or institution;
NOTE :
Individual members of 12 step groups may do some of these things on a private, personal basis, but this is not part of his/her 12 step membership. Many professionals in the field of alcoholism are also members of 12 step groups. Their professional work, however, is NOT part of the 12 step membership. No 12 step groups profess competence to perform professional services such as those listed above.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE :-
When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, we want the hand of a 12 Step group [member] always to be there. And for that: WE ARE RESPONSIBLE.