Tradition Nine
Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Please share your experience, strength, and hope as it relates to Tradition 9. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
I recently attended the very first meeting of a newly formed Al-Anon group in a nearby town, and when I pulled into the parking lot, one of the other members greeted me, saying “I’m sorry, we’re running late; we’re just a little bit unorganized.” I found myself laughing and responded, “I believe that’s the Ninth Tradition”. Everyone laughed, and it broke the tension, but it wasn’t until we were opening the meeting a few minutes later and the Traditions were read that the other members, all relative newcomers, more fully realized my meaning. Al-Anon’s lack of a hierarchical organizational structure… Read more »
Before coming to Al-Anon I prided myself in being organized, being in control and being able to bring projects to a good end. Of course, this was dictated by my desire, or should I say, my need to be perfect, to perform at 100% and, most of all, to be recognized. Today, I know that those were illusions and that I created havoc around me. Needless to say, I never won a popularity contest and I was a disturbing factor on many occasions. It is in service and after following the guidance of other trusted servants, who had paved the… Read more »
This Tradition reminds me that there is not one person who is in charge. We can participate in committees to share thoughts, suggestions, and ideas that are in the best interest of the group. This helps in sharing the responsibility of maintaining a healthy meeting.
This Tradition talks about Letting Go. It suggests to me to be humble enough to recognize that I am not the only one who can do things and do them the right way. Applying this Tradition brings about trust, sharing and respect for myself and others. This implies that I must delegate and give freedom of action to others, thus letting go of strict rules, too much rigidity and too much organisation. I also cannot force my ideas on others. I can however help and be a source of information, but otherwise I should keep my nose out of their… Read more »
To me, the 9th Tradition is all about “Keep It Simple.”
The first two things I learned from Tradition Nine are: letting go and trust. I had to let go of the idea that I could do it all and develop trust in others. The letting go was not easy as I liked to know what is going on at all time and I also liked that things be done my way. It is in service, that I gradually learned to let go and trust the people and the process. I also learned to trust the people serving with me, as I saw that they had succeeded in places where I… Read more »
Tradition Nine talks about letting go and sharing, among other things. I was always a controller and a perfectionist, which I know today was one way for me to feel safe. Although I showed a lot of bravado, inside I was invaded with fears. Because of that, I rarely shared the responsibilities at hand. I had to be in charge of everything. Of course, trust was at the core of this behavior. I lacked humility, as in many cases, I thought I had all the answers. Acting in such a way cheated me of meeting great people, of the chance… Read more »