Thoughts on Tradition Eleven from the Shropshire (UK) Intergroup (More at the link below):

Short form

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.

Long form

Our relations with the general public should be characterised by personal anonymity. We think A.A. should avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better that our friends recommend us.

Tradition Eleven Discussion Questions

Do I sometimes promote AA so fanatically that I make it seem unattractive?
Do I understand the level of anonymity this tradition suggests? Am I an ‘invisible’ alcoholic?
When in service am I careful to avoid using my name at the level of press, radio and film.
Are public forums on the internet ‘at the level of press’? Do I inadvertently, therefore, compromise the anonymity of others?
Am I ashamed of being a recovered, or recovering, alcoholic?
What would AA be like if we were not guided by the ideas in Tradition Eleven? Where would I be?
Is my AA sobriety attractive enough that a sick drunk would want such a quality for himself?

Thoughts on Tradition Eleven

The first part of this tradition is often misunderstood to mean that AA does no outreach at all. Intergroup meetings can sometimes get quite heated whenever anyone suggests trying a newspaper or online advert to help attract newcomers. This is why the long form of the tradition is so important. It makes clear that AA can and should engage in advertising, but that that advertising should not be sensationalist. This is the difference between bylines that say "If you have a drinking problem, we can help" and "GUARANTEED RESULTS! THE BEST RECOVERY PROGRAMME!" AA does advertise and guidance exists in our service material to give us suggestions. So perhaps the question is not so much, "should we advertise to newcomers?", rather "why are we not advertising to newcomers?"

Maintaining personal anonymity is good for us. Most of us would agree that many members struggle with a strong ego and low self-esteem, especially in the beginning. The mind tries to compensate for this low self-esteem by bolstering the ego. A kind of self-defence mechanism. Our feelings about ourselves are so fragile that any suggestion that we are less that ideal brings the ego racing to the rescue. This kind of reaction is common in AA as it is in the rest of the population, perhaps even more so. While the ego is trying to defend us, it tends to take control. Anything that bolsters the ego may be especially risky for us. For non-alcoholics the outcomes can be less that ideal, but for us they can be fatal. So anything that restricts or reduces the impact of the ego is crucial to us in AA. This is one of the reasons why anonymity, a true act of humility, is so important.

Another of the reasons is to help to protect the image of AA. It's an unfortunate fact that many people who come to AA don't make it to long term recovery. Even members who have been sober many years are still vulnerable to relapse. If these people were in the public eye, a relapse could do a great deal of damage to the image of AA and give the impression that AA doesn't work - something we know not to be true for everyone.

Maintaining personal anonymity is also good for others. I, like many other newcomers, took a great deal of comfort from the knowledge that my involvement with AA (in the early days) was a private matter, that my membership or attendance would not be made public. This privacy creates a reassuring environment for newer members.

It's important that we don't get anonymity confused with privacy. I recall an occasion when we couldn't get into our venue at my old home group. Someone who lived nearby suggested meeting at their home. I, being quite new at the time, remarked that we shouldn't because it would risk breaking the anonymity tradition. I was grateful to the member who kindly corrected me and told me of the difference between anonymity and privacy. That anonymity it for the public level and that choosing privacy within AA was a personal choice. Dr. Bob was quite emphatic about this. These are the words of Warren C from Cleveland, circa 1940:

“He [Dr. Bob] said there were two ways to break the anonymity Tradition: (1) by giving your name at the public level of press or radio; (2) by being so anonymous that you can’t be reached by other drunks.”

Total anonymity makes us less effective, not more. While it is certainly a personal choice, many AA members choose to let their friends and family know about their membership of AA. Consequently, many of us have been able to act as referral points to extended friends and family and so offer the opportunity of recovery.

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