Below is an excerpt of a letter from the AA General Service Office, dated January 22,
2010, that addresses this:

“Although the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous are in the
public domain of the United States, it has always been Alcoholics Anonymous
World Services, Inc. (“AAWS”) Board’s position to request the cooperation of
other Fellowships based on A.A.’s Steps, Traditions, etc. in protecting the
integrity of the A.A. message as conveyed in Alcoholics Anonymous. AAWS has
historically permitted the adaptation of the Twelve Steps and the Twelve
Traditions by other Fellowships. However, when it comes to other A.A. materials,
the Board does not feel that it is appropriate for other Fellowships to substitute
any other words where the words such as “alcoholics”, “alcoholism” appear in the
original text.

Additionally, to permit ‘adaptation’ of portions of text material would tend to
dilute the credibility of our literature. As may be the case with some of your own
literature, A.A. material derives chiefly from experience, and, therefore, possesses
a certain sense of authenticity and sincerity. If the very same material were to be
published with word substitutions, depending on which Fellowship was
publishing it, anyone having occasion to read two or more of these versions would
have good reason to doubt the integrity of any of them.”