As stated in the long form of A.A.'s 3rd Tradition, "[any] two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation." The 4th Tradition adds that "each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience" (with the caveat that its actions refrain from injuring other groups or A.A. as a whole). Under these terms, A.A. groups have no official obligation to ally with, seek sanction from, or otherwise conform to the larger fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous or its General Service Office (G.S.O.).
Unregistered Groups may, for any number of reasons, choose to remain outside or unassociated with the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous and even the A.A. Fellowhip at large. Sometimes not being registered can be a simple oversight. Groups that choose to register typically do so because they find commonality with the A.A. Fellowship as a whole, with its Steps and Traditions, and hence they desire to share in the benefits of that relationship as well as contribute their voices to the collective conscience, which directs A.A. affairs locally, nationally, and internationally. Further explanation about the importance of group registry can be found on A.A.'s website:
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