Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity. (“Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions“, Tradition One)

Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward. (long form)

When Rowland H. visited Dr. Carl Jung prior to the formation of A.A., Dr. Jung essentially told him to “Go see ‘God’.” (“Alcoholics Anonymous“, page 27) Rowland did that and then passed that same suggestion along to Ebby, then Ebby to Bill and so on until the following appeared in print in 1939:

“…we have discovered a common solution…a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action…the great [message our groups carry] to those who suffer from alcoholism.” (page 17)
“…restored and united under one God, with hearts and minds attuned to the welfare of others…” (page 161)

That is A.A. unity, and that will never change no matter how many groups of whatever type might ever seem to prove anything any different might work for them.