Tradition Six (Short): A C.A. Group ought never endorse, finance or lend the C.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Tradition Six (Long): Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A. —and medically supervised. While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.
Clarifying Questions and Answers:
Q: What will divert us from our primary spiritual aim? A: Problems of money, property and prestige.
Q: What do we think should be done with property of considerable value? A: Separately incorporated and managed.
Q: What is being divided by doing so? A: The material from the spiritual.
Q: What should a C.A. group never do? A: Go into business.
Q: What would be secondary aids? A: Clubs and hospitals.
Q: How should secondary aids be organized? A: Incorporated and so set apart.
Q: What distinct advantage does this offer? A: Can be freely discarded by the groups.
Q: What should such facilities not do? A: Use the C.A. name.
Q: Who should manage such facilities? A: Management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them.
Q: Who will make a good manager for a C.A. club? A: C.A. managers are usually preferred.
Q: What about various health facilities? A: Be well outside C.A. —and medically supervised.
Q: While a C.A. group may do what? A: Cooperate with anyone.
Q: Such cooperation ought never go so far as what? A: Affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.
Q: Who can a C.A. group bind itself to? A: No one.
Discussion Questions:
- Do I understand that doing anything that does not fulfill our primary purpose may harm the group?
- Am I aware that non-CA fundraising functions/activities divert us from our primary purpose?
- Am I aware that endorsing or financing a clubhouse or related facility may imply affiliation and can harm
CA as a whole? - Am I aware that lending the CA name to any outside business or enterprise can take the focus off Cocaine
Anonymous?