Where is “self-support” in the Big Book?
We are self supporting through our own contributions. Yes, Tradition 7. Where does it say in the Big Book that we have to support ourselves?
The issue of "self-support" is not expressed in the Big Book, it's one of our Traditions. The Traditions were born out of the years of AA experience that followed the publication of the Big Book in 1939.
In the years between 1935 and 1945, there were many competing ideas of how things should be done in and among the AA groups sprouting up around the world. During his years of work establishing an AA office in New York, Bill W. received thousands of letters from individual AAs and groups seeking guidance; he worked with others to develop The Traditions that gave the AA fellowship a consistent, broad-ranging set of guidelines. The policy of declining contributions from outside AA was intended to keep AA independent from government, large organizations and the sometimes corrupting influence money can bring. The books "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" and "AA comes of Age" provide additional insight into the development of AA's policies & practices.
