"When writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as "a member of Alcoholics Anonymous" Very earnestly we ask the press also, to observe this request, for otherwise we shall be greatly handicapped." Forward to the first edition, page xiii. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2007 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

"It was decided that all members ought to be anonymous at the level of press, radio, TV and films."  Forward to the second edition, page xix. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2007

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

   I really enjoy online fellowship. But I view with alarm the general lack of anonymity on the internet as practiced by the members of our fellowship. For example, if you look on myspace.com or xanga.com, you will find literally thousands of members publicly posting names, addresses, personal info and photos on public sites. I find this disturbing. The extent of the practice is so great it seems overwhelming.

   I wonder what if any effect this will have on our fellowship. I don't see any will or movement in AA to change or educate members, on the internet, of our tradition of public anonymity. Maybe it will have a positive effect, maybe public anonymity is obsolete. Sometimes in AA history public disclosures of AA membership have been beneficial to our fellowship. The advent of the internet may be one of those moments. But who knows what is in the minds of still suffering alcoholic? Will their response to us, as a result of our lack of anonymity, be positive or negative? I know what my response would have been if I believed my identity as an AA member would not have been kept private. I needed the confidentiality to summon the will to participate in the fellowship of AA.  I didn't know anything about AA when I came to my first meeting. But it was obvious by the name, Alcoholics Anonymous, that my identity would be protected. Would a prospective member, looking for an answer to their drinking problem, looking at AA today on the internet, make the same assumption? Today I need anonymity for the spiritual sacrifice it provides my personal program. Do members today enjoy the spiritual sacrifice anonymity provides?

   The Big Book preface also says conformance to tradition is voluntary; it is not a rule or law. It is the numbers of people on the internet choosing non-conformance that concerns me. I worry about them, their sobriety, their futures, how the effect of non-anonymous membership will affect their futures, and how that will reflect on our fellowship. A bad reflection on AA will have a bad effect on our ability to carry the message to other alcoholics. In the short time I've been a member, twenty-five years, I have experienced a decrease in acceptance of AA, and even rejection and outright opposition to AA.