Our common welfare should come first, personal recovery
depends on ACA unity.
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority -
a loving God as expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders
are but trusted servants, they do not govern.
The only requirement for membership in ACA is a desire to
recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or
otherwise dysfunctional family.
Each group is autonomous except in matters affecting other
groups or ACA as a whole. We cooperate with all other 12-Step
programs.
Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its
message to the adult child who still suffers.
An ACA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the ACA
name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest
problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our
primary purpose.
Every ACA group ought to be fully self-supporting,
declining outside contributions.
Adult Children of Alcoholics should remain forever
non-professional, but our service centers may employ special
workers.
ACA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they
serve.
Adult Children of Alcoholics has no opinion on outside
issues; hence the ACA name ought never be drawn into public
controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather
than promotion; we maintain personal anonymity at the level of
press, radio, T.V. and films.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.
