I still remember walking into AA meetings and seeing that framed set of the Twelve Concepts for World Service hanging on the wall, and honestly, they looked like legal documents to me. I didn’t understand them or what they had to do with getting sober.

The Steps made sense. They were about me and my recovery. The Traditions made some sense. They were about the group and how we stayed together and learned about healthier relationships. But the Concepts? They looked like AA corporate policy.

I figured they were probably important to somebody, but I couldn’t imagine how they were going to help me stay sober. And truthfully, when I was brand new, they weren’t. What helped me stay sober in those early days was a sponsor, meetings, coffee, phone numbers, and the Steps. I didn’t need to understand Concepts One through Twelve to keep from taking a drink.

But something interesting happens if we stay around long enough. Recovery begins to grow.

At first, our focus is naturally on ourselves. We’re trying to survive. We’re trying to stop drinking. We’re trying to figure out how to live one day at a time. That’s our First Legacy: Recovery.

Then, as we begin to heal, we discover something else. We aren’t doing this alone. We become part of a home group. We learn about the Traditions. We begin to understand that protecting AA’s unity is just as important as protecting our own sobriety. That’s our Second Legacy: Unity.

But if we continue growing, something else begins to happen. We start asking different questions.

• Who makes sure there will be meetings for the next alcoholic?
• Who publishes the Big Book?
• Who protects our Traditions?
• Who answers letters from alcoholics in prison?
• Who carries the message around the world?
• Who makes sure AA is still here long after we’re gone?

Those questions lead us directly to our Third Legacy: Service.

And that’s where the Concepts begin to matter. The Concepts are not really about business. They’re not about bureaucracy. They’re not about creating rules. They’re about making sure the hand of AA will always be there for the alcoholic who still suffers.

When I finally began studying them, I realized something surprising. The Concepts are simply spiritual principles applied to service.

• Trust.
• Responsibility.
• Leadership.
• Accountability.
• Participation.
• Delegation.
• Humility.

Sound familiar?

Those are the same principles we learn in the Steps and see reflected in the Traditions. The Concepts simply show us how to use those principles when serving AA as a whole.

That’s when I began seeing the connection between all three legacies.

• The Steps taught me how to stay sober.
  • Recovery saved my life.
• The Traditions taught me how to live and recover with others.
  • Unity gave me a place to belong.
• The Concepts taught me how to help ensure AA survives for future generations.
  • Service gave me a purpose.

The longer I stay sober, the less I see the Concepts as “AA legalese” and the more I see them as the operating instructions for carrying our message into the future.

Most newcomers don’t need to learn the Concepts on Day One. I certainly didn’t. But at some point, if we’re serious about giving back what was freely given to us, they deserve our attention. Because one day, somebody will walk into an AA meeting for the very first time. They’ll be scared. Confused. Desperate. And they’ll have no idea how that meeting got there.

The Concepts help make sure it does.

That’s why they matter.

And that’s why, sooner or later, every member of Alcoholics Anonymous should take a look at them. Not because they’re required. But because they’re part of the gift we’ve been given. And part of the responsibility of passing that gift on.

In love & service,

If you want to watch a really cool animated explainer video of the 12 Concepts that’s only a few minutes long – watch this video. Click on the image below.