Alcoholics Anonymous changed its Preamble during the pandemic without a majority of member approval.

The General Service Office and area delegates used this time of discontent and inability to congregate as an opportunity to push through “gender-neutral” changes to the sacred text of Alcoholics Anonymous without full transparency or democratic vote.  The Preamble, read at the beginning of every meeting, states that AA does not wish to engage in any controversy and is not allied with any politics, was officially changed in 2021. The change: “men and women” was replaced with “people”. Delegates allegedly polled meetings for votes in the past two years; an absolutely impossible task which no one remembers. 

Over the past two years anonymity has been broken via Zoom and hybrid; virtual meetings splintered off from in-person; some meetings have shut down completely; and others had to merge to survive. Business meetings, usually quite lively, have turned to resentment engines and members have stopped showing up to help the newcomer. There has been little visible unity in AA meetings which inhibited clear communication. Not enough people know how to contact the GSO or to whom to address complaints. Some members assumed  this was a change at the group level; it was program-wide. AA is built on unity and now it is divided.  

Will this be the beginning of the end? In fact, a fifth edition of the big book is reportedly already being neutralized. If an honest poll were to be taken, the word a majority of members would like to see removed is “God”, mentioned 281 times in the first 164 pages. 

This year marks 87 years of help for countless sick and suffering alcoholics and addicts. It has remained relevant precisely because nothing has changed.  It works. A list of 12 traditions, the first of which is AA unity has been the reason for this.

Until now.

Bottom line:  The unnecessary change is controversial and political. It is an attack on the principles of AA and remaining silent could give the delegates the fuel they need to continue altering the remainder of the literature.  The GSO will be allowed, almost encouraged - through our silence to continue with this agenda and division could put an end to Alcoholic Anonymous.

New York Intergroup:  info@nyinterroup.org
GSO www.aa.org/contact-gso (212) 870-3023
General Service Area 49:  (718) 665-1253

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