传统4：AA组自主权和责任

Tradition 4 of the12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous指出，自由个人团体已经致力于保护奖学金的迹令。这意味着会议格式可能因组到组而异，但它也会引人注目与通常的计划过度的误区。

"Tradition 4: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole."

Tradition 4 Grants AA Group Freedom With Responsibility to the Whole

Each 12-step group has complete freedom to decide for itself the program content of its meetings and the topics that will be discussed. The group can decide if the meeting will be open orclosedand when and where the meeting will be held. Each group can decide to change its meeting format and has complete authority to spend its funds as needed.

The group can also decide how it wishes to begin and end its meetings. Some groups close with aprayer, while others have a moment of silence. In all of these matters, each group has total freedom. It is entirely up to the membership of that individual group.

But the second part of this tradition reminds each group that it has a responsibility also to the worldwide fellowship and other groups. By adhering to the traditions and principals of its program, each group can assure that it will not stray too far away from the program's basic tenets.

限制第四个传统授予的自由

The autonomy provided in Tradition 4 does not mean an individual group has the authority to re-word the12 steps或传统或创造自己的文学。在他们的会议场所，群体也不应该介绍，讨论或出售外部文学。

Other than that, groups have complete freedom to design their programs to the needs of their members, which can result in a wide variety of formats.

Many a meeting has gotten away from the look and feel of its primary purpose by using non-conference-approved literature, showing videos of popular self-help speakers, or allowing treatment professionals to speak at open meetings on the latest therapy techniques.

How Group Autonomy Creates Different Environments

一个AA成员描述了在遇到不同方式的群体时所象如一起的。他说，当他第一次进入AA时，他了解到它是如何进入他的小团体的时候，当他去邻国城镇的其他团体时，他会认为，“他们没有对他们的会议进行正确的，”只是因为他们不喜欢与他去的第一个团队一样。

Today these little things that used to bother him make him realize that they're what makes all these groups unique and different. He looks forward to the different meetings now because they're unique in their own rights. As long as the guidelines of the program are followed and the basic message is there for everyone, the autonomy of each group is one more example of whyAlcoholics Anonymousworks.