Someone Said the Tapes Are Illegal

Key takeaway

Someone said the tapes are illegal because they are not Conference-approved. That label means the Conference approved material for publication by the General Service Office. It does not cover what that office does not publish, and it does not mean disapproval. A.A. does not tell members what they may read. You can still walk into a meeting tonight.

Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Someone said the tapes are illegal. Or banned. They used the words like a ruler across the knuckles, and the reason they gave was that the recordings are not Conference-approved. You felt stupid for having them in the car. Or you felt stupid for asking what they were. The scolding landed harder than the drinking problem you actually came in with.

You were handed a label and told it was a crime. It is not that kind of label.

What Conference-approved actually decides

Conference-approved means written or audiovisual material the General Service Conference approved for publication by the General Service Office. The point of the process is to assure that the piece accords with A.A. principles. It deals with the recovery program, or with information about the Fellowship.

The same explanation says the term does not apply to material the General Service Office does not publish. It does not mean the Conference disapproves of other material. A.A. does not tell members what they may or may not read. That is the whole answer to the person who made "not Conference-approved" sound like "against the law."

Service piece SMF-29 says the same thing in the language groups use when they are trying to be careful. Central offices and intergroups write pieces that are not Conference-approved. If those pieces meet local needs, they may be called A.A. literature. The Conference does not disapprove of them. Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge, and the books at cost. None of that is a police report about a member-made study.

The conference-approved guide stays with the label in general. Stay here for the wound you actually have, which is being scolded about these tapes.

The tapes are outside that label, and that is not a ban

Nothing in that definition describes what is on the recordings, and you do not need a summary of them to answer the scolding. Who Joe McQuany and Charlie Parmley were is on the Joe and Charlie guide. The study is members talking about the Big Book. The Big Book itself, Alcoholics Anonymous, is the basic text the Conference path does publish. A conversation about that book is not the book. Falling outside the publishing path is not the same as being forbidden.

You can put the tapes away. You can listen later. You can decide you never want them. A.A. is not going to assign you a reading list, and it is not going to confiscate one either. The person who scolded you spoke with more certainty than the Fellowship's own FAQ.

If a group plays the study, that is the group choosing a format. Groups choose format. Another group may read a short passage from the book and talk. What a Big Book meeting is is that simpler hour. The books guide is the shelf A.A. itself publishes, if you want a piece that does carry the label. The pamphlet you picked up is a different object from a tape someone called illegal.

You can walk in while the argument is still in your head

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees. The newcomer page says you can sit and listen or share. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You do not have to announce that you own a recording, and you do not have to announce that you threw it out.

You also do not have to win the argument in the parking lot. Court and treatment referrals are welcome at meetings, and membership is still voluntary. A debate about literature is even less of a gate. If the room where you got scolded feels sour, try another one. What to expect helps with the walk to the door. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Local A.A. resources have lists, and there is a pointer there for online meetings.

Open meetings are for anyone interested, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. The tapes do not change which door is which.

If you are sick, leave the argument

If you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911. If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text 988. NIDA describes mutual-help groups such as A.A. as peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support. It is not detox. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A label will not manage that. The withdrawal guide is there when you can read. Care comes first.

If you need help finding treatment, call (800) 653-9376, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. The line is not an intergroup. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available all day and night in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists programs if you want to look yourself.

Tonight

Open meetings and pick an hour. Listings there are not verified by this site, so confirm the time locally before you count on it. Go in on a desire to stop drinking. You do not have to mention the tapes, and you do not have to apologize for having heard of them.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

Common Questions

Are the Joe and Charlie tapes banned because they are not Conference-approved?

The Conference-approved label does not work as a ban. It means written or audiovisual material the General Service Conference approved for publication by the General Service Office. The term does not apply to material that office does not publish. It does not mean the Conference disapproves of other material. A.A. does not tell members what they may or may not read. Someone can still dislike the tapes. Dislike is not the same word as illegal. You can go to a meeting either way.

Does not Conference-approved mean A.A. thinks the tapes are wrong?

No. A.A.'s own explanation says the label does not imply disapproval of other material. It assures that pieces the General Service Office publishes through the Conference accord with A.A. principles, and that they deal with the recovery program or with information about the Fellowship. Material outside that publishing path is simply outside the label. Central offices and intergroups also write pieces that are not Conference-approved. If those pieces meet local needs, they may be called A.A. literature locally, and the Conference does not disapprove of them.

Can my group still play a study that is not Conference-approved?

Groups choose their own format. A.A. does not tell members what they may read, and a group is free to read the Big Book out loud, to use other Conference-approved books, or to play a member-made study. You can sit and listen. You can also choose a different meeting if this format feels like a scolding. The Joe and Charlie guide tells who the two men were. The conference-approved guide stays with the label itself. Neither one is a permission slip you must earn.

What if I already feel ashamed for owning the recordings?

Put them in a drawer if you want. Owning them does not make you a rule-breaker under the definition A.A. prints. The shame came from a person's tone, not from a ban in the literature policy. You can walk into a meeting without mentioning the tapes at all. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. There are no dues or fees. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You do not have to defend your bookshelf to take a chair.

What if the scare is my body, not the argument?

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. A debate about a label will not keep you safe. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support, not detox. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. Get medical care before you sort anyone's opinion about a recording.