The Twelve Traditions of CEA-HOW
Tradition 1 - Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon CEA-HOW unity.
Tradition 2 - For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
Tradition 3 - The only requirement for CEA-HOW membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.
Tradition 4 - Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or CEA-HOW as a whole.
Tradition 5 - Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the compulsive eater who still suffers.
Tradition 6 - A CEA-HOW group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the CEA-HOW name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Tradition 7 - Every CEA-HOW group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Tradition 8 - Compulsive Eaters Anonymous-HOW should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Tradition 9 - CEA-HOW, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Tradition 10 - Compulsive Eaters Anonymous-HOW has no opinion on outside issues; hence the CEA-HOW name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Tradition 11 - Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television, and other public media of communication.
Tradition 12 - Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.