FAA’s Twelve Traditions

While the Twelve Steps guide us through our personal recovery, it is the Twelve Traditions that guide our relationships inside and outside of our Fellowship.

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon FAA unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as God is expressed in   our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for FAA membership is a desire to stop eating addictive foods.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or FAA as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry its message to the food addict who still suffers.
6. An FAA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the FAA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every FAA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Food Addicts Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. FAA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Food Addicts Anonymous has no opinions on outside issues; hence the FAA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous® World Services, Inc.