History Of Alcoholics Anonymous
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
(AA) is a global fellowship founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson (known as
Bill W. William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Bob Smith. AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million member ...
) and Robert Smith (known as Dr. Bob), and has since grown to be worldwide.


Alcoholism in the 1700s and 1800s

Nearly two centuries before the advent of Alcoholics Anonymous,
John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
established Methodist
penitent band In Methodism, inclusive of the holiness movement, a penitent band is a group of Christians that meets on Saturday night to keep themselves away from temptation and confess their sins. Saturday was the day that the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, ...
s, which were organized on Saturday nights, the evening on which members of these small groups were most tempted to frequent
alehouse A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
s. The hymns and teaching provided during the penitent band meetings addressed the issues that members faced, often alcoholism. As a result, penitent bands have often been compared to Alcoholics Anonymous in scholarly discourse.


Temperance Movement and Prohibition


Alcoholism in the 1930s

In post-
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
1930s America, it was common to perceive alcoholism as a moral failing, and the medical profession standards of the time treated it as a condition that was likely incurable and lethal. Those without financial resources found help through state hospitals, the
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
, or other charitable societies and religious groups. Those who could afford psychiatrists or hospitals were subjected to a treatment with
barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant, depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medication, medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological a ...
and belladonna known as "purge and puke" or were left in long-term
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...
treatment. Despite being aware of medical issues associated with alcoholism, doctors and scientists dismissed them. Skepticism of earlier 20th century claims about the dangers of alcohol arose, minimizing the reality of alcohol-related health problems. Moreover, alcohol-related diseases were not published during this time. Post-prohibition scientists allegedly were eager to separate themselves from the period of temperance. The legislature of Virginia burned scientific journals that condoned moderate drinking to distance themselves from the "wet-dry debate".


The Oxford Group

The
Oxford Group The Oxford Group was a Christian organization founded by American Lutheran minister Frank Buchman in 1921, originally under the name First Century Christian Fellowship. Buchman believed that fear and selfishness were the root of all problems. ...
was a Christian fellowship founded by American Christian missionary
Frank Buchman Franklin Nathaniel Daniel Buchman (June 4, 1878 – August 7, 1961), best known as Frank Buchman, was an American Lutheran who founded the First Century Christian Fellowship in 1921, renamed as the Oxford Group in 1928, that was transformed und ...
. Buchman was a minister, originally Lutheran, then Evangelist, who had a conversion experience in 1908 in a chapel in Keswick, England, the revival center of the
Higher Life movement The Higher Life movement, also known as deeper Christian life, the Keswick movement or Keswickianism ( ), is a Protestant theological tradition within evangelical Christianity that espoused a distinct teaching on the doctrine of entire sanctifi ...
. As a result of that experience, he founded a movement named ''A First Century Christian Fellowship'' in 1921. This came to be known as the ''Oxford Group'' by 1928. Buchman summarized the Oxford Group philosophy in a few sentences: "All people are sinners"; "All sinners can be changed"; "Confession is a prerequisite to change"; "The changed person can access God directly"; "Miracles are again possible"; and "The changed person must change others." The practices they utilized were called the five C's: * Confidence * Confession * Conviction * Conversion * Continuance Their standard of morality was the Four Absolutesa summary of the teachings of the
Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is th ...
: * Absolute-Honesty * Absolute-Purity * Absolute-Unselfishness * Absolute-Love In his search for relief from his alcoholism,
Bill Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was an American businessman who conceived and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with fellow co-founder Bob Smith. AA is an internation ...
, one of the two co-founders of AA, joined The Oxford Group and learned its teachings. While Wilson later broke from The Oxford Group, he based the structure of Alcoholics Anonymous and many of the ideas that formed the foundation of AA's suggested
Twelve-Step Program Twelve-step programs are international mutual aid programs supporting recovery from substance addictions, behavioral addictions and compulsions. Developed in the 1930s, the first twelve-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded by B ...
on the teachings of the Oxford Group. Later in life, Bill Wilson gave credit to the Oxford Group for saving his life. An Oxford Group understanding of the human condition is evident in Wilson's formulation of the dilemma of the alcoholic; Oxford Group program of recovery and influences of Oxford Group evangelism still can be detected in key practices of Alcoholics Anonymous.Mercadante, Linda A, ''Victims and Sinners'': p. 55. Westminster John Knox Press: 1996 The Oxford Group writers sometimes treated sin as a disease. They believed that sin was "anything that stood between the individual and God". Sin frustrated "God's plan" for oneself, and selfishness and self-centeredness were considered the key problems. Therefore, if one could "surrender one's ego to God", sin would go with it. In early AA, Wilson spoke of sin and the need for a complete surrender to God. The Oxford Group also prided itself on being able to help troubled persons at any time. AA gained an early warrant from the Oxford Group for the concept that disease could be spiritual, but it broadened the diagnosis to include the physical and psychological. In 1955, Wilson wrote: "The early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else."Pittman, Bill ''AA the Way it Began'' Glen Abbey Books, 1988 According to Mercadante, however, the AA concept of ''powerlessness over alcohol'' departs significantly from Oxford Group belief. In AA, the bondage of an addictive disease cannot be cured, and the Oxford Group stressed the possibility of complete victory over sin.


How Alcoholics Connected with the Oxford Group

Rowland Hazard In 1926, Rowland Hazard, an American business executive, went to
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, to seek treatment for alcoholism with psychiatrist
Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...
. When Hazard ended treatment with Jung after about a year, and came back to the US, he soon resumed drinking, and returned to Jung in Zurich for further treatment. Jung told Hazard that his case was nearly hopeless (as with other alcoholics) and that his only hope might be a "spiritual conversion" with a "religious group". Back in America, Hazard went to the Oxford Group, whose teachings were eventually the source of such AA concepts as "meetings" and "sharing" (public confession), making "restitution", "rigorous honesty" and "surrendering one's will and life to God's care". Hazard underwent a spiritual conversion" with the help of the Group and began to experience the liberation from drink he was seeking. He became converted to a lifetime of sobriety while on a train ride from New York to Detroit after reading ''For Sinners Only'' by Oxford Group member AJ Russell. Ebby Thacher Members of the group introduced Hazard to
Ebby Thacher Edwin Throckmorton Thacher (29 April 1896 – 21 March 1966) (commonly known as Ebby Thacher or Ebby T.) was an old drinking friend and later the sponsor of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. He is credited with introducing Wilson to t ...
. Hazard brought Thacher to the Calvary Rescue Mission, led by Oxford Group leader
Sam Shoemaker Samuel Moor Shoemaker III DD, STD (December 27, 1893 – October 31, 1963) was a priest of the Episcopal Church. Samuel Shoemaker was considered one of the best preachers of his era, whose sermons were syndicated for distribution by tape a ...
. Over the years, the mission had helped over 200,000 needy people.''Pass It On'', p. 117. Thacher also attained periodic sobriety in later years and died sober. Bill Wilson In keeping with the Oxford Group teaching that a new convert must win other converts to preserve his own conversion experience, Thacher contacted his old friend
Bill Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was an American businessman who conceived and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with fellow co-founder Bob Smith. AA is an internation ...
, whom he knew had a drinking problem.


1934 Bill Wilson sober

Bill Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was an American businessman who conceived and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with fellow co-founder Bob Smith. AA is an internation ...
was an alcoholic who had ruined a promising career on
Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
by his drinking. He had also failed to graduate from law school because he was too drunk to pick up his diploma. His drinking damaged his marriage, and he was hospitalized for alcoholism at Towns Hospital in New York four times in 1933–1934 under the care of William Silkworth. On Wilson's first stay at Towns Hospital, Silkworth explained to him his theory that alcoholism is an illness rather than a moral failure or failure of willpower. Silkworth believed that alcoholics were suffering from a mental obsession, combined with an allergy that made compulsive drinking inevitable, and to break the cycle one had to completely abstain from alcohol use. Wilson was elated to find that he suffered from an illness, and he managed to stay off alcohol for a month before he resumed drinking. When Ebby Thacher visited Wilson at his New York apartment and told him "he had got religion," Wilson's heart sank. Until then, Wilson had struggled with the existence of God, but of his meeting with Thacher he wrote: "My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, 'Why don't you choose your own conception of God?' That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last." When Thacher left, Wilson continued to drink. Thacher returned a few days later bringing with him Shep Cornell, another Oxford Group member who was aggressive in his tactics of promoting the Oxford Group Program, but despite their efforts Wilson continued to drink. The next morning Wilson arrived at Calvary Rescue Mission in a drunken state looking for Thacher. Once there, he attended his first Oxford Group meeting, where he answered the call to come to the altar and, along with other penitents, "gave his life to Christ". Wilson excitedly told his wife Lois about his spiritual progress, yet the next day he drank again and a few days later readmitted himself to Towns Hospital for the fourth and last time. At Towns Hospital under Silkworth's care, Wilson was administered a drug cure concocted by Charles B. Towns. Known as the Belladonna Cure, it contained belladonna (''
Atropa belladonna ''Atropa bella-donna'', commonly known as deadly nightshade or belladonna, is a toxic perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. It is native to Europe and Western Asia, i ...
'') and henbane (''
Hyoscyamus niger Henbane (''Hyoscyamus niger'', also black henbane and stinking nightshade) is a poisonous plant belonging to tribe Hyoscyameae of the nightshade family ''Solanaceae''. Henbane is native to temperate Europe and Siberia, and naturalised in Great B ...
''). These plants contain
deliriants Deliriants are a subclass of hallucinogen. The term was coined in the early 1980s to distinguish these drugs from psychedelics such as LSD and dissociatives such as ketamine, due to their primary effect of causing delirium, as opposed to t ...
, such as
atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically give ...
and
scopolamine Scopolamine, also known as hyoscine, or Devil's Breath, is a medication used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting. It is also sometimes used before surgery to decrease saliva. When used by injection, effects begin a ...
, that cause
hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
. It was while undergoing this treatment that Wilson experienced his "Hot Flash" spiritual conversion. While lying in bed depressed and despairing, Wilson cried out: "I'll do anything! Anything at all! If there be a God, let Him show Himself!" He then had the sensation of a bright light, a feeling of ecstasy, and a new serenity. Wilson described his experience to Silkworth, who told him not to discount it. Thacher visited Wilson at Towns Hospital and introduced him to the basic tenets of the Oxford Group and to the book '' Varieties of Religious Experience'' (1902) by American psychologist and philosopher
William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...
. Upon reading the book, Wilson was later to state that the phrase "deflation at depth" leapt out at him from the page of William James's book; however, this phrase does not appear in the book. It was James's theory that spiritual transformations come from calamities, and their source lies in pain and hopelessness, and surrender. James's belief concerning alcoholism was that "the cure for
dipsomania Dipsomania is a historical term describing a medical condition involving an uncontrollable craving for alcohol or other drugs. In the 19th century, the term dipsomania was used to refer to a variety of alcohol-related problems, most of which are k ...
was religiomania". Upon his release from the hospital on December 18, 1934, Wilson moved from the Calvary Rescue Mission to the Oxford Group meeting at Calvary House. There Wilson socialized after the meetings with other ex-drinking Oxford Group members and became interested in learning how to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. It was during this time that Wilson went on a crusade to save alcoholics. Sources for his prospects were the Calvary Rescue Mission and Towns Hospital. Though not a single one of the alcoholics Wilson tried to help stayed sober,Hartigan, pp. 70–71 Wilson himself stayed sober.


1935 Dr. Bob sober

Silkworth believed Wilson was making a mistake by telling new converts of his "Hot Flash" conversion and thus trying to apply the Oxford Group's principles. He advised Wilson of the need to "deflate" the alcoholic. He told Wilson to give them his medical understanding, and give it to them hard: tell them of the obsession that condemns them to drink and the physical sensitivity that condemns them to go mad and of the compulsion to drink that might kill them. He believed that if this message were told to them by another alcoholic, it would break down their ego. Only then could the alcoholic use the other "medicine" Wilson had to givethe ethical principles he had picked up from the Oxford Groups. Subsequently, during a business trip to
Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
, Wilson was tempted to drink and realized he must talk to another alcoholic to stay sober. He phoned local ministers to ask if they knew any alcoholics. Norman Sheppard directed him to Oxford Group member Henrietta Seiberling, whose group had been trying to help a desperate alcoholic named Dr Bob Smith. While he was a student at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
, Smith started drinking heavily and later almost failed to graduate from medical school because of it. He opened a medical practice and married, but his drinking put his business and family life in jeopardy. For 17 years, Smith's daily routine was to stay sober until the afternoon, get drunk, sleep, then take sedatives to calm his morning jitters. Seiberling convinced Smith to talk with Wilson, but Smith insisted the meeting be limited to 15 minutes. Smith was so impressed with Wilson's knowledge of alcoholism and ability to share from his own experience, however, that their discussion lasted six hours. Wilson moved into Bob and Anne Smith's family home. There both men made plans to take their message of recovery on the road. During this period, however, Smith returned to drinking while attending a medical convention. During his stay at the Smith home, Wilson joined Smith and his wife in the Oxford Group's practice of "morning guidance" sessions with meditations and
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
readings. The Bible's
Book of James The Epistle of James is a general epistle and one of the 21 epistles (didactic letters) in the New Testament. It was written originally in Koine Greek. The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. It survives in manuscripts from the 3rd ...
became an important inspiration for Smith and the alcoholics of the Akron group. Wilson spent a month working with Smith, and Smith became the first alcoholic Wilson brought to sobriety. Smith's last drink was on June 10, 1935, (a beer to steady his hand for surgery), and this is considered by AA members to be the founding date of AA.


A new program

Wilson and Smith sought to develop a simple program to help even the worst alcoholics, along with a more successful approach that empathized with alcoholics yet convinced them of their hopelessness and powerlessness. They believed active alcoholics were in a state of insanity rather than a state of sin, an idea they developed independently of the Oxford Group.''Pass It On'', p. 151''Pass It On'', p. 154 To produce a spiritual conversion necessary for sobriety and "restoration to sanity", alcoholics needed to realize that they couldn't conquer alcoholism by themselvesthat "surrendering to a higher power" and "working" with other alcoholics were required. Sober alcoholics could show drinking alcoholics that it was possible to enjoy life without alcohol, thus inspiring a spiritual conversion that would help ensure sobriety.Hartigan, pp. 90–91 The tactics employed by Smith and Wilson to bring about the conversion was first to determine if an individual had a drinking problem. To do this, they would first approach the man's wife, and later they would approach the individual directly by going to his home or by inviting him to the Smiths' home. The objective was to get the man to "surrender", and the surrender involved a confession of "powerlessness" and a prayer that said the man believed in a "higher power" and that he could be "restored to sanity". This process would sometimes take place in the kitchen, or at other times it was at the man's bed with Wilson kneeling on one side of the bed and Smith on the other side. This way the man would be led to admit his "defeat". Wilson and Smith believed that until a man had "surrendered", he couldn't attend the Oxford Group meetings. No one was allowed to attend a meeting without being "sponsored". Thus a new prospect underwent many visits around the clock with members of the Akron team and undertook many prayer sessions, as well as listening to Smith cite the medical facts about alcoholism. A new prospect was also put on a special diet of sauerkraut, tomatoes and Karo syrup to reduce his alcoholic cravings. The Smith family home in Akron became a center for alcoholics. Two realizations came from Wilson and Smith's work in Akron. The first was that, to remain sober, an alcoholic needed another alcoholic to work with. The second was the concept of the "24 hours"that if the alcoholic could resist the urge to drink by postponing it for one day, one hour, or even one minute, he could remain sober.


An Akron group and a New York group

After he and Smith worked with AA members three and four, Bill Dotson and Ernie G., an initial Akron group was established. Wilson returned to New York and began hosting meetings in his home in the fall of 1935. Wilson allowed alcoholics to live in his home for long periods without paying rent and board. This practice of providing a halfway house was started by Bob Smith and his wife Anne. Wilson's wife, Lois, not only worked at a department store and supported Wilson and his unpaying guests, but she also did all the cooking and cleaning. She also tried to help many of the alcoholics that came to live with them. She was attacked by one man with a kitchen knife after she refused his advances, and another man committed suicide by gassing himself on their premises. Later they found that he had stolen and sold off their best clothes. Wilson stopped the practice in 1936 when he saw that it did little to help alcoholics recover. The Wilsons did not become disillusioned with the Oxford Group until later; they attended the Oxford Group meetings at the Calvary Church on a regular basis and went to a number of the Oxford Group "house parties" up until 1937.


Separating from the Oxford Group

There were two programs operating at this time, one in Akron and the other in New York. The Akron Oxford Group and the New York Oxford Group had two very different attitudes toward the alcoholics in their midst. The Akron Oxford members welcomed alcoholics into their group and did not use them to attract new members, nor did they urge new members to quit smoking as everyone was in New-York's Group; and Akron's alcoholics did not meet separately from the Oxford Group. The Wilsons' practice of hosting meetings solely for alcoholics, separate from the general Oxford Group meetings, generated criticism within the New York Oxford Group. Oxford Group members believed the Wilsons' sole focus on alcoholics caused them to ignore what else they could be doing for the Oxford Group. While Sam Shoemaker was on vacation, members of the Oxford Group declared the Wilsons not "Maximum", and members were advised not to attend the Wilsons' meetings. In 1937, the Wilsons broke with the Oxford Group. According to the Oxford Group, Wilson quit; according to Lois Wilson, they "were kicked out." Wilson later wrote that he found the Oxford Group aggressive in their evangelism. He objected to the group's publicity-seeking and intolerance of nonbelievers, and those alcoholics who were practicing Catholics found their views to be in conflict with the Oxford Group teachings. The alcoholics within the Akron group did not break away from the Oxford Group there until 1939. Their break was not from a need to be free of the Oxford Group; it was an action taken to show solidarity with their brethren in New York.Hartigan, pp. 94–98 At the end of 1937, after the New York separation from the Oxford Group, Wilson returned to Akron, where he and Smith calculated their early success rate to be about five percent. Over 40 alcoholics in Akron and New York had remained sober since they began their work. Wilson then made plans to finance and implement his program on a mass scale, which included publishing a book, employing paid missionaries, and opening alcoholic treatment centers. The 18 alcoholic members of the Akron group saw little need for paid employees, missionaries, hospitals or literature other than the Oxford Group's. Some of what Wilson proposed violated the spiritual principles they were practicing in the Oxford Group. By a one-vote margin, they agreed to Wilson's writing a book, but they refused any financial support of his venture.


1939 The Big Book

The title of the book Wilson wrote is ''Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story Of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism'' but it is referred to by AA members as "the Big Book". Its main objective is to help the alcoholic find a power greater than himself" that will solve his problem, the "problem" being an inability to stay sober on his or her own.


Rockefeller

One of the main reasons the book was written was to provide an inexpensive way to get the AA program of recovery to suffering alcoholics. In the early days of AA, after the new program ideas were agreed to by Bill Wilson, Bob Smith and the majority of AA members, they envisioned paid AA missionaries and free or inexpensive treatment centers. But initial fundraising efforts failed. In 1938, Bill Wilson's brother-in-law Leonard Strong contacted Willard Richardson, who arranged for a meeting with A. Leroy Chapman, an assistant to
John D. Rockefeller Jr. John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fifth child and only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of th ...
Wilson envisioned receiving millions of dollars to fund AA missionaries and treatment centers, but Rockefeller refused, saying money would spoil things. Instead, he agreed to contribute $5,000 in $30 weekly increments for Wilson and Smith to use for personal expenses. Later, in 1940, Rockefeller also held a dinner for AA that was presided over by his son
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and was attended by wealthy New Yorkers as well as members of the newly founded AA. Wilson hoped the event would raise much money for the group, but upon conclusion of the dinner, Nelson stated that Alcoholics Anonymous should be financially self-supporting and that the power of AA should lie in one man carrying the message to the next, not with financial reward but only with the goodwill of its supporters. Although Wilson would later give Rockefeller credit for the idea of AA being nonprofessional, he was initially disappointed with this consistent position; and after the first Rockefeller fundraising attempt fell short, he abandoned plans for paid missionaries and treatment centers. Instead, Wilson and Smith formed a nonprofit group called the Alcoholic Foundation and published a book that shared their personal experiences and what they did to stay sober. The book they wrote, ''Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story Of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism'' (the Big Book), is the "basic text" for AA members on how to stay sober, and it is from the title of this book that the group got its name.


Works Publishing

Much of Bill W.'s input for the book was written in 1938 at the Calumet Building in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
at offices of Honor Dealers, a business of early New York member Hank P., using the secretarial services provided by Ruth Hock. When Wilson had begun to work on the book, and as financial difficulties were encountered, the first two chapters, ''Bill's Story'' and ''There Is a Solution'' were printed to help raise money. After receiving an offer from
Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship Imprint (trade name), imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper (publisher), James Harper and his brother John, the compan ...
to publish the book, Hank P., whose story ''The Unbeliever'' appears in the first edition of the "Big Book", convinced Wilson they should retain control over the book by publishing it themselves. Hank devised a plan to form "Works Publishing, Inc.", and raise capital by selling its shares to group members and friends. With Wilson's knowledge as a stockbroker, Hank issued stock certificates, although the company was never incorporated and had no assets. At first there was no success in selling the shares, but eventually Wilson and Hank obtained what they considered to be a promise from ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'' to do a story about the book once it was completed. On the strength of that promise, AA members and friends were persuaded to buy shares, and Wilson received enough financing to continue writing the book. Subsequently, the editor of ''Reader's Digest'' claimed not to remember the promise, and the article was never published. Bill and Hank held two-thirds of 600 company shares, and Ruth Hock also received some for pay as secretary. Two hundred shares were sold for $5,000 ($79,000 in 2008 dollar value) at $25 each ($395 in 2008 value), and they received a loan from Charlie Towns for $2,500 ($40,000 in 2008 value). This only financed writing costs, and printing would be an additional 35 cents each for the original 5,000 books. Edward Blackwell at Cornwall Press agreed to print the book with an initial $500 payment, along with a promise from Bill and Hank to pay the rest later. Hank P. returned to drinking after four years of sobriety and could not account for Works Publishing's assets. Hank blamed Wilson for this, along with his own personal problems. By 1940, Wilson and the Trustees of the Foundation decided that the Big Book should belong to AA, so they issued some preferred shares, and with a loan from the Rockefellers they were able to call in the original shares at par value of $25 each. Hank P. initially refused to sell his 200 shares, then later showed up at Wilson's office broke and shaky. Wilson offered Hank $200 for the office furniture that belonged to Hank, provided he sign over his shares. Hank agreed to the arrangement after some prodding from Wilson. Not long after this, Wilson was granted a royalty agreement on the book that was similar to what Smith had received at an earlier date. The transaction left Hank resentful, and later he accused Wilson of profiting from Big Book royalties, something that Cleveland AA group founder Clarence S. also seriously questioned. Using principles he had learned from the Oxford Group, Wilson tried to remain cordial and supportive to both men. Works Publishing became incorporated on June 30, 1940.


The Twelve Steps

After the third and fourth chapters of the Big Book were completed, Wilson decided that a summary of methods for treating alcoholism was needed to describe their "word of mouth" program.''Pass It On'', pp. 196–197 The basic program had developed from the works of William James, Silkworth, and the Oxford Group. It included six basic steps: # We admitted that we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol. # We made a moral inventory of our defects or sins. # We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence. # We made restitution to all those we had harmed. # We tried to help other alcoholics, with no thought of reward in money or prestige. # We prayed to whatever God we thought there was for power to practice these precepts. Wilson decided that the six steps needed to be broken down into smaller sections to make them easier to understand and accept. He wrote the Twelve Steps one night while lying in bed, which he felt was the best place to think. He "prayed for guidance" prior to writing, and in reviewing what he had written and numbering the new steps, he found they added up to twelve. He then thought of the
Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
and became convinced that the program should have twelve steps. With contributions from other group members, including atheists who reined in religious content (such as Oxford Group material) that could later result in controversy, by fall 1938 Wilson had expanded the six steps into the final version of the Twelve Steps, which are detailed in Chapter Five of the Big Book, called ''How It Works.'' Many of the chapters in the Big Book were written by Wilson, including Chapter 8, ''To Wives.'' It was a chapter he had offered to Smith's wife, Anne Smith, to write, but she declined. His wife Lois had wanted to write the chapter, and his refusal to allow her left her angry and hurt. Some postulate the chapter appears to hold the wife responsible for her alcoholic husband's emotional stability once he has quit drinking. Wilson kept track of the people whose personal stories were featured in the first edition of the Big Book. About 50 percent of them had not remained sober.


Promotion

Initially the Big Book did not sell. 5000 copies sat in the warehouse, and Works Publishing was nearly bankrupt. Morgan R., recently released from an asylum, contacted his friend Gabriel Heatter, host of the popular radio program ''We the People,'' to promote his newly found recovery through AA. The interview was considered vital to the success of AA and its book sales, so to ensure that Morgan stayed sober for the broadcast, members of AA kept him locked in a hotel room for several days under a 24-hour watch. The interview was a success, and Hank P. arranged for 20,000 postcards to be mailed to doctors announcing the Heatter broadcast and encouraging them to buy a copy of ''Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story Of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism'' Book sales and AA popularity also increased after positive articles in ''
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
'' magazine in 1939 and the ''
Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...
'' in 1941.Jack Alexander (March 1, 1941).
Alcoholics Anonymous
" ''Saturday Evening Post'', December 22, 2015, Post Perspective. Retrieved December 10, 2022


Revisions

The second edition of the Big Book was released in 1955, the third in 1976, and the fourth in 2001. The first part of the book, which details the program, has remained largely intact, with minor statistical updates and edits. The second part contains personal stories that are updated with every edition to reflect current AA membership, resulting in earlier stories being removedthese were published separately in 2003 in the book ''Experience, Strength, and Hope''.''Experience, Strength and Hope: Stories from the First Three Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous'', New York: Alcoholics Anonymous, 2003, .


Anonymity

Originally, anonymity was practiced as a result of the experimental nature of the fellowship and to protect members from the stigma of being seen as alcoholics. The name "Alcoholics Anonymous" referred to the members, not to the message. If members made their membership in AA public, especially at the level of public media, and then went out and drank again, it would not only harm the reputation of AA but threaten the very survival of the fellowship. Later, as a result of "anonymity breaks" in the public media by celebrity members of AA, Wilson determined that the deeper purpose of anonymity was to prevent alcoholic egos from seeking fame and fortune at AA expense. Wilson also saw anonymity as a principle that would prevent members from indulging in ego desires that might actually lead them to drink againhence Tradition Twelve, which made anonymity the spiritual core of all the AA traditions, i.e., the AA guidelines.


Into the 21st century

As AA grew in size and popularity from over 100 members in 1939, other notable events in its history have included the following: * 1939 AA co-founder Bill Wilson and Marty Mann founded ''High Watch Farm'' in Kent, Connecticut, the world's first 12-Step-based rehab center. * 1941 2,000 members in 50 cities and towns. After the March 1941 Saturday Evening Post article on AA, membership tripled over the next year. * 1944 in June, ''AA Grapevine'' magazine was published containing first-person stories of AA members. Its slogan "an AA meeting in print" was adopted after receiving supportive letters from AA members in overseas military. * 1945 AA adopted the ''AA Grapevine'' as its national journal. * 1946 in April, ''AA Grapevine'' first published the ''Twelve Traditions'' (in the long/original form) as ''Twelve Points to Assure Our Future.'' They were derived by Wilson from group letters to AA headquarters asking how to handle disputes over such issues as finance, publicity, and outside affiliations, and were intended to be guidelines on group conduct and avoiding controversy. * 1949 ''AA Grapevine'' became the international journal of AA due to added readership in Canada and Europe. * 1949 A group of recovering alcoholics and AA members founded ''
Hazelden The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is an addiction treatment and advocacy organization that was created in 2014 with the merger of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in the United States ...
Farm'', a Minneapolis refuge and treatment center. Since then, 93 percent of alcohol rehabilitation clinics use AA concepts in their treatment, and a reverse influence has also occurred, with AA receiving 31 percent of its membership from treatment-center referrals. * 1950 ''The Twelve Traditions'' were unanimously adopted at AA's First ''International Convention.'' * 1950 On November 16, Bob Smith dies. There were about 100,000 AA members. * 1953 The Twelve Traditions were published in the book ''Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.'' * 1953 ''
Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subs ...
'' received permission from AA to use the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in its own program. * 1955 Second Edition of the Big Book released; estimated 150,000 AA members.''Big Book'', Third Edition, 1976 * 1957 ''Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age'' was published. * 1962 ''The Twelve Concepts for World Service'' were adopted by AA as a guideline for international issues. * 1962 The movie '' Days of Wine and Roses'' depicted an alcoholic in AA. * 1971 Bill Wilson dies. His last words to AA members were "God bless you and Alcoholics Anonymous forever." * 1976 Third Edition of the Big Book released; estimated 1,000,000 AA members. * 1980 ''Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers'' gave an account of AA development in and around Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. * 1984 ''Pass It On'' detailed Wilson's life story. * 1988 The movie ''
Clean and Sober ''Clean and Sober'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Glenn Gordon Caron and starring Michael Keaton as a real estate agent struggling with a substance abuse problem. This film was Keaton's first dramatic departure from comedies. The sup ...
'' depicted such aspects of AA culture as
sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...
. * 1989 The movie ''
My Name Is Bill W. ''My Name Is Bill W.'' is a 1989 ABC ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' made-for-television drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, starring James Woods, JoBeth Williams and James Garner. William G. Borchert, who wrote the film script for television, base ...
'' portrayed the AA story. * 2001 Fourth Edition of the Big Book released; estimated 2 million or more members in 100,800 groups meeting in approximately 150 countries around the world. * 2010 The TV movie '' When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story'' portrays the story of Lois and Bill Wilson, founders of Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous."When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story"
at the Internet Movie Database
* 2012 ''
Bill W. William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Bob Smith. AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million member ...
'', an American biographical documentary directed by Dan Carracino and Kevin Hanlon, about William Griffith Wilson.


See also

*
Addiction recovery groups Drug addiction recovery groups are voluntary associations of people who share a common desire to overcome their drug addiction. Different groups use different methods, ranging from completely secular to explicitly spiritual. Some programs may advoc ...
*
Alcohol intoxication Alcohol intoxication, commonly described in higher doses as drunkenness or inebriation, and known in overdose as alcohol poisoning, is the behavior and physical effects caused by recent consumption of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. The technical ter ...
*
List of twelve-step groups This is a list of Wikipedia articles about specific Twelve-step program, twelve-step recovery programs and fellowships. These programs, and the groups of people who follow them, are based on the set of guiding principles for recovery from wiktio ...
*
Substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
*
Recovery model The recovery model, recovery approach or psychological recovery is an approach to mental disorder or substance dependence that emphasizes and supports a person's potential for recovery. Recovery is generally seen in this model as a personal journe ...
* '' Something to Live For''


References


Sources

* * * * *


Further reading

* Ernest Kurtz. ''AA: The Story'' (A Revised Edition of ''Not-God''). Random House Value Publishing, 1991. . *William H. Schaberg. ''Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A.'' Central Recovery Press, 2019. .


Media documentaries

* Wright, Gwendolyn
"Alcoholics Anonymous Letter"
History Detectives ''History Detectives'' was a documentary television series on PBS. It featured investigations made by members of a small team of researchers to identify and/or authenticate items which may have historical significance or connections to important h ...
,
Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...
, Season 4, Episode 7, 2006. In-depth look into the early founding days of AA, through a letter from Bill Wilson to Herbert Wallace.


External links


AA official website
{{Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...