For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. The only requirement for A. A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A. A. as a whole. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. An A. A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A. A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.