Some of you may have heard in meetings ‘Rule 62. Some may have responded, but there are no rules in A.A., just suggestions. Rule 62 – don’t take yourself too seriously. A young group in the early 40s from West Virginia had become passionate about this new sobriety stuff and wanted to create something spectacular. This group convinced their small town to fund a service centre that would be a place for A.A recovery, a clubhouse, rehabilitation, a possible loan agency, another floor for medical care, another to help with employment…I wonder, does this sound familiar?
This group from Middleton contacted New York because they felt this creation needed rules and regulations to make it work. The members got together 61 of these rules and regulations and sent them to Bill W at the New York office to help with their idea, give it the once over, and give it his seal of approval, Now Bill had already been thought this kind of imagination. You see the group couldn’t agree on them…What a surprise. The people of the New York office didn’t have a clue what to do around this, they haven’t had to deal with a large facility. While New York was discussing this,
After a while New York received another message from the spokesperson of the Middleton group, admitting the demise of the service centre idea. He had already sent cards to other groups.
The head promoter (meaning the fellow whose idea this was) wrote to New York on a little folded card the size of a golf scorecard. On the outside was printed Middleton Group #1. Rule 62.”
Once the card was unfolded, a single pungent sentence leapt to the eye:
“Don’t take yourself too damn seriously.”
The group is decided the idea of running a huge facility like what they were talking about was potentially ego-driven. It was on the verge of tearing the group apart. Under Tradition Four an A.A. group had exercised their right to be wrong. The group and the group’s spokesperson had humbly learned a lesson. It also showed they could all pick themselves up with a laugh and go on to continue on. The story can be read on pages 148-149 of the 12×12.
Have a look at the card below. Apparently, only 500 cards had been printed.
Also – Listen to a talk from Bill W about the group and Rule 62.
East London Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous. 