The solution – early attempts The Washingtonian Society • Alcoholism was not accepted as a disease by the American Medical Association until 1956. It was then characterised as an incurable, progressive and fatal disease which needed to be treated by people with medical and psychiatric expertise. Before 1956 alcoholics were not allowed to be treated in US hospitals unless they were admitted with recognised illnesses such as gastric disorders. Before this time there were movements which tried to help alcoholics, the first recognised movement being the Washingtonian Society • The Washingtonian movement was established in the 1840s and reached some 250,000 in membership. It was mainly a religious movement designed to tackle members’ problems such as alcoholism. It was popular and successful until the movement involved itself in other issues such as the abolition of slavery The Oxford Group Movement • A religious society formed in the early 1900s. Some problem drinkers found sobriety through contact with other members and by practising the Four Absolutes – absolute love, absolute purity, absolute honesty and absolute unselfishness • The Oxford Group evolved into the Moral Re-armament Group as the 2nd World War loomed. Involvement in these issues led to the declining effectiveness of both the Washingtonian Society and the Oxford Group Movement in the field of alcoholism William Griffith Wilson 1895 - 1971 • ‘Bill W.’ - co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous • Raised in East Dorset, Vermont • Alcoholic grandfather – heavy drinking father • Father moved away – followed by his mother • Childhood sweetheart (Bertha Bamford) died suddenly during an operation • Bill is determined to succeed. Teaches himself Morse code and builds a transmitter/receiver • Defied the odds to make boomerang which worked Bill W at High School • Taught himself to play the violin • Studied law, chemistry and engineering • Avoids alcohol until he is 22 years old • Joins the army and prepares for war in Europe • Feeling awkward at an army social event in New Bedford, Bill is given a ‘Bronx cocktail’ • Bill relaxes and socialises easily with army officers • ‘I had found the elixir of life’ Bill in the army 1918 - Bill W. visits Winchester Cathedral during WW1

Bill arrives in England to prepare for war in France and visits Winchester Cathedral

‘Much moved, I wandered outside. My attention was caught by a doggerel on an old tombstone’

The name Thetcher gets Bill’s attention – it reminds him of his old school friend (Ebby Thacher). The gravestone carries an ominous warning - and is later featured in Bill’s Story in the Big Book Lois Wilson 1891 - 1988 • Co-founder of Al-Anon family groups • Born in Brooklyn Heights, NY – daughter of a prominent surgeon and gynaecologist • Met Bill in 1914 during a holiday in her family’s summer home at Emerald Lake – in East Dorset, Vermont • Bill & Lois married on January 24th 1918 in Brooklyn – just before Bill set sail for Europe with the army • Suffered for many years through Bill’s drinking. Unable to have children. Bill suspects that they are not allowed to adopt children due to his drinking • It was to be many years before Bill and Lois had their own home. Lois worked in Macy’s department store in New York as Bill’s condition worsened • Lois and her friend Anne B. founded Al-Anon in 1951 Lois with Bill in 1918 Bill’s drinking life (1918 – 1934)

• Returns from WW1 exhilarated by the opportunities in his life to come • Very successful during the 1920s but spends more and more time in the bars and speak-easies around Wall Street • Lois has several miscarriages and can’t have children • Bill starts to drink alcoholically from 1928 onwards • The Wall Street crash leaves Bill $60,000 in debt. Brief employment opportunities come and go but he has no secure work. He and his wife Lois move into her father’s house in Brooklyn • Bill signs a contract which guarantees that he won’t drink during a consultancy project in New Jersey. When the project nears completion, Bill is persuaded by his work colleagues to try a glass of cider called ‘Jersey Lightning’. Bill then disappears and loses the contract • Bill’s brother-in-law (Leonard Strong) pays for Bill to be treated for alcoholism at the Charlie Towns hospital on the upper west side in New York Dr. William Duncan Silkworth 1873-1951 • Psychologist at Towns Hospital NYC specialising in alcoholism. Treated thousands of alcoholics • Originally a neurologist with a private practice, Dr. Silkworth lost everything in the Wall St. crash. • Later wrote ‘The Doctor’s Opinion’ – a vital part of the Big Book as the author offers medical expertise • Treated Bill 4 times and told him about the disease concept (the mental obsession combined with the physical compulsion) • Bill is struck by Dr. Silkworth’s expertise in Dr William Silkworth alcoholism and his kindness • Bill understands the disease concept but has no knowledge of the spiritual malady • Armed with a ‘full knowledge of his condition’, Bill stays dry until Armistice Day 1934. The barman at a golf club on Staten Island offers Bill a drink on the house to honour the fallen comrades in WW1. Bill takes a drink and begins his final descent.

Lois at her father’s home in Clinton Street Rowland Hazard Prominent businessman and former Rhode Island State Senator. Suffered from alcoholism. He sought help from the famous Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung. Underwent treatment for a year. He then drank again and was bewildered by the experience.

Jung pronounces Rowland a chronic alcoholic with a hopeless condition. Offers some consolation – very occasionally alcoholics of Rowland’s type undergo a ‘vital spiritual experience’. Rowland’s only hope is to broaden his spiritual life. He returns to Ebby Thacher America and joins the Oxford Groups – a religious society offering help to its members through prayer and fellowship

At his Oxford group meetings, Rowland hears about the plight of Ebby Thacher, an Oxford Group member facing difficulties with his drinking. Rowland decides to improve his own spiritual condition by helping Ebby.

Dr. Carl Jung Edwin Throckmorton Thacher 1896 - 1966 • Known as Ebby - a schoolboy friend of Bill’s and later a drinking buddy • Ebby was institutionalised several times and was often banned from clubs, bars and even towns • Ebby faced jail for 6 months when he was caught shooting at pigeons in his backyard after several warnings about his drunkenness • His membership of the Oxford Groups saves Ebby from prison – a fellow member (Rowland Hazard) vouches for him in court and promises to be responsible for him • Ebby moves to New York where he attends the Oxford Group meetings in Dr. Sam Shoemaker’s Calvary Church on E21st street Ebby hears about the plight of Bill W. and decides to take the same action as Rowland Hazard – to improve his own spiritual condition by helping somebody else Ebby T. Visits Bill W. Ebby visited Bill in late November 1934 as he’d heard that his friend was suffering. Bill was surprised to see his old drinking buddy sober. Ebby refuses a drink offered by Bill and says ‘I’ve got religion.’ He explains his experiences in the Oxford Groups and tells Bill: ‘You can define your own concept of a Higher Power’

The kitchen table where Ebby chatted with Bill W. Ebby didn’t have Bill’s understanding of the physical allergy and soon started to drink again. However, he passed on a vital piece of information to Bill – that faith in a Higher Power could relieve him of his alcoholism

Bill W. entered Towns Hospital for the last time on December 11th 1934. As he experienced alcohol withdrawal and delirium tremens, his friend Ebby visited him and discussed the Oxford Group ideas for recovery. This was essentially 6 steps at the time. Bill worked these steps with Ebby the night before his spiritual awakening Bill’s Spiritual Experience Bill expressed deep remorse for his actions and for the harm done to his wife, Lois. In desperation he prayed that he would do anything, anything at all for help.

‘If there be a God, let Him show Himself! Suddenly, my room blazed with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. In my mind I stood upon a mountain, where a great wind blew. A wind, not of air, but of spirit. It blew clean through me. Then came the blazing thought – “You are a free man”. So this is the God of the preachers!’. Bill W. never took another drink.

For the next 5 months Bill W. tried to pass the message of his spiritual experience to drunks in New York. Dr. Silkworth told him to stop preaching about God to drunks – ‘talk drunk to a drunk’!

He was exasperated by his failure to get people sober and complained to Lois that he had tried to help at least 50 drunks and had failed. Crucially, Lois replied: ‘But you haven’t had a drink Bill – you haven’t had a drink’ Bill W.’s trip to Akron Bill is 5 months sober and visits Akron Ohio on a business trip. The business venture fails and Bill faces a lonely weekend in the Mayflower Hotel. The cosy hotel bar beckons him but Bill remembers Lois’s words. Bill had remained sober by trying to help other alcoholics.

Bill feels the need to drink. He looks through the hotel church directory and finds a strange name which catches his attention – Reverend Walter Tunks (Tunks is a word used in The Mayflower hotel Akron Bill’s home state of Vermont).

Bill calls Rev. Tunks and receives a list of telephone numbers. After many failed calls he finally makes contact with Henrietta Seiberling of the powerful Goodyear tyre company.

Henrietta happens to know someone who is suffering from alcoholism and agrees to see Bill. Her best friend is Annie Smith The hotel lobby and – the long suffering wife of Dr. Bob Smith in Akron telephone booth Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith

Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous Born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont on August 8th 1879 - only child Heavy drinking student – famed for his ‘open throat’- being able to drink a bottle of beer without moving any muscles in his throat! Missed a final exam due to the shakes – had to repeat two terms. Dr. Bob as a Accomplished physician –drank for over 30 years until he was 56 young man Dr. Bob came home drunk on the day before Mothers’ Day in 1935. He had bought his wife Annie a plant – both he and the plant were ‘potted’’. Annie told him that a stockbroker from New York wanted to see him about his drinking problem. He was too drunk to make the meeting that day but agreed to meet him on the Sunday. It is believed that he only agreed to meet Bill for 15 minutes to please his wife as it was Mothers’ Day.

Dr. Bob the co-founder of AA Bill W. meets Dr. Bob Dr. Bob likes Bill – they’re both tall & lean people originating from Vermont. Bill explains that he hasn’t visited Dr. Bob to help him – he has come for his own benefit. He has to talk to another alcoholic to stay sober. The 15 minute meeting lasts 5 hours – Bill moves in and stays on for several months. Dr. Bob goes to a medical convention in Atlantic City and drinks again. Dr. Bob’s wife Annie and Bill are worried – they wait for hours for Dr. Bob’s return. Dr. Bob returns home drunk and gets off the train at the wrong stop. He has to sober up The Gatehouse at the Seiberling estate in Akron as he’s performing surgery the next day. ▪ Bill gives Dr. Bob a bottle of beer to calm his nerves. This was the last drink that Dr. Bob ever took.

• He performs the surgery and then tours Akron and makes amends to as many of his acquaintances as possible.

▪ Dr. Bob’s last drink was on June 10th, 1935 – the official birthday of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA’s birthday signifies nothing more than two sober drunks helping each other. This simple formula has been working ever since – right across the world. Dr. Bob and Anne Smith’s home 855 Ardmore Avenue, Akron, Ohio Bill D. – the 3rd man

Bill stays with Dr. Bob and his wife Annie for 3 months. They have many things in common and are convinced that they can carry a message to suffering alcoholics Dr. Bob works at St. Thomas’s Hospital in Akron. Staff at the hospital are impressed by Dr. Bob’s new-found sobriety. A new patient was admitted The hospital offers Dr. Bob and Bill W. the to St. Thomas’ hospital who opportunity to talk with one of its patients suffered from alcoholism. He (Bill D.). The patient is terrified as he is led to a was violent and attacked two private room (usually the sign of a terminal illness). nurses. Dr. Bob offers to treat him free of charge.

Staggered to hear Dr. Bob and Bill W. speak of their drinking, Bill D. identified with the message. He left Akron hospital on July 4th 1935 a free man and never drank again.

Dr. Bob and his friend Sister Ignatia went on to treat 5,000 patients in Akron’s hospital until Dr. Bob died sober in 1950. Sister Ignatia continued the work there for many years. Sister Ignatia Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia treated Bill D. (later to become AA # 3) and nearly 5,000 other alcoholics free of charge. As alcoholism wasn’t accepted by the AMA as an illness until 1956,the patients had to be admitted for ‘severe gastritis’.

Sister Ignatia gave each of her newly released patients a Sacred Heart medallion, which she asked them to return before they took the first drink. It is believed that the medallions inspired the giving of sobriety chips in many of today’s meetings. When Sister Ignatia left the hospital for her next post, she was saluted by rows of alcoholics who lined the streets . They were in their cars with their headlights on as a farewell glow to the ‘Little sister of AA’.

Sister Ignatia’s ‘chips’ Akron hospital Alcoholics Anonymous – the early years

•Bill developed the idea of a book to spread the AA message of recovery but needed finance for the project •His brother-in-law (Leonard Strong) put him in touch with the Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Bob came from Akron to attend the meeting. They asked for $50,000 but received just $5,000. Rockefeller felt that money would ruin such a splendid organisation. At a later date, AA re-paid this money to Rockefeller in line with our Tradition 7 (declining outside contributions)

•Bill and his friends tried to raise finance so that they could print the book by issuing share certificates. The $25 shares wouldn’t sell until they had a commitment from Readers Digest to publish an article on AA

AA’s early share certificates The Big Book

• Bill is the main author of the Big book but his manuscript had to be approved by other members of AA

• Care had to be taken not to endorse or offend any religion and the tone had to be about ‘suggestion’ rather than ‘direction’

• Bill worried about writing Chapter 5 as it was so important to get it right

• He was inspired one evening and scribbled out the steps in half an hour. He counted them and he was happy that there were 12 – • it reminded him of the 12 apostles

• His friend Hank P. (an agnostic) contributed to the book with the chapter ‘To employers’ – the only chapter not written by Bill W. Interestingly, neither God nor spirituality are mentioned in this chapter. An early idea for the Big Book cover Bill W.’s famous writing desk

The 1st edition of the Big Book Bill's writing desk at Wit's End, Stepping Stones, Bedford Hills, NY

Works Publishing prints 5,000 copies but Readers Digest withdraw their offer to publish an article on AA. The contributors to the Big Book stories are given 28 copies free of charge and 49 copies are given to the shareholders. The rest are left in storage. The book fails to sell.

In late 1940 a journalist called Jack Alexander took an interest in the AA movement and asked Bill to take him to some meetings. Jack was a controversial journalist who was famous for exposing scams. However, he became convinced that AA members had no other motive but to strengthen their own sobriety by helping other people to get sober. Jack Alexander’s article – The Saturday Evening Post

Jack Alexander wrote an article which was hugely complimentary to AA. It was published by the Saturday Evening Post on March 1st, 1941.

Enquiries and desperate pleas for help flooded in from all over the USA.

Alcoholics Anonymous was finally established as an American institution.

Membership increased that year from 1,500 to over 8,000 alcoholics.

Membership of Alcoholics Anonymous today is over 2 million people. The number of meetings exceeds 50,000 Stepping Stones, Bedford Hills, NY Home of Bill & Lois Wilson • Married for 23 years, Bill and Lois had never owned their own home; • In 1941 they were lodging with any friends they could find and moved over 50 times; • Lois stopped one day and dropped her bags in Grand Central station. She cried her eyes out. • A generous AA friend then sold a house to them for $6,500. • Mrs. Griffith wanted no down payment and asked for only $40 per month as a long-term mortgage. Bill & Lois had a home at last • After Lois died in 1988, Stepping Stones became a museum and is still open to visitors from the AA Stepping Stones, Bedford Hills, NY and Al-Anon fellowships Al-Anon Family Groups

▪1940: Dr. Bob’s wife Annie and Bill W.’s wife Lois often join their husbands’ friends for food and fellowship. They start to talk to other family members and share about alcoholism in families. Annie S. dies in 1948 ▪1943 – 50: groups of family members form throughout the USA and Canada ▪1949: Ruth G. starts to publish a 12 page magazine called Lois’ desk at Stepping Stones the Family Forum ▪1951: Lois W asks a close friend (Anne B.) to join her in opening an office at Stepping Stones ▪1952: Lois and Anne move their HQ to the AA clubhouse on 24th Street NY •1953: Al-Anon featured on an inspirational TV programme ‘Lamp onto my feet’. Write-ups in the Christian Herald, Life Romances and Life Today

▪1955: Al-Anon featured in the Saturday Evening Post. ▪Al-Anon’s first book ‘The Al-Anon Family Groups’ launched at the AA International Convention in St. Louis The AA Traditions • Following the Jack Alexander article, Bill spent 3 years answering letters from groups across the USA. As many of the questions were the same, Bill realised that AA groups needed some help to run their own affairs. • The Traditions were not rules or commands but guidelines needed by AA groups to protect their unity, autonomy and anonymity. Most essential was a common purpose and a refusal to be distracted by outside issues. • Bill presented the 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous to the AA convention at Cleveland in 1950 and they were accepted into the fellowship.

At the 20th anniversary convention in St. Louis, AA ‘came of age’. Responsibility for the fellowship passed from the founders to the new service structure and the conference of AA. As the fellowship spread throughout the world, Bill W. realised that guidelines were needed for AA’s global service structure. Bill wrote the 12 Concepts for World Service. They were accepted by Conference in 1962. AA in the UK

• The 1st AA meeting in the UK was held in classy surroundings on 31st March 1947 • Grace O was visiting from New York and met several people who had contacted AA in the US for help • Grace, Canadian Bob and a few others from the UK, Ireland and the USA met in room 202 of the Dorchester Hotel, London AA in the UK

• Canadian Bob and Bill Hopper • are the founder members of AA in the UK

• Bill Hopper’s office in the London Fruit Exchange provides AA’s 1st UK address

• October 1948 – first London meeting opens in Chandos Street

• January 1949 – AA membership in the UK passes the 100 mark AA in the UK • 1948 – news of AA reaches an Oxford Group meeting in Scotland • 1949 – AA meetings begin in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow • 1951 – AA in Wales starts in Cathedral Road, Cardiff • 1952 – AA leases an office at 11 Redcliffe Gardens, London • 1986 – AA head office moves to Stonebow House in York • Redcliffe Gardens becomes the London AA telephone office • 1999 – London’s telephone office moves to King’s Cross 1963 – Belfast Archie attends his first AA meeting in Lisburn Road, Belfast. Archie takes his last drink on September 24th 1963 1950 - Bill W visits the UK

June 1950 - Bill and Lois visit. 1500 Big Books follow Bill had been to Scandinavia, Netherlands and France. As well as many A.A. meetings, he attended a meeting with doctors, probation officers and ministers of religion at Caxton Hall. They also visited Liverpool, Perth, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast. Bill had the following message to his friends in the UK: “Sobriety is the most important thing in your whole life without exception. You may think that your job, your hobby or your home life, or one of many other things, come first. This is not so. Just think – if you do not get sober and stay sober and get some peace of mind, the chances are you won’t have a job or a hobby at all, even you may lose your sanity and life itself. If you have taken the first step and are so convinced that everything in your life depends on your sobriety, then you have just that much more chance of getting sober and staying sober. If, on the other hand, you put things first, you are going to ruin your chance of living a wonderful life” Words spoken to Jim B in his garden in the Wirral, Cheshire, by Bill W, when he visited in 1950

Dr. Bob dies – 15th November 1950

Dr. Bob gave his last message to the fellowship at the Cleveland International Convention on July 28th 1950

He stressed his famous ‘keep it simple’ message and defined AA as ‘love and service’

Dr. Bob died with 15 years of sobriety at the age of 71. He was the co-founder of a fellowship which by then had helped over 100,000 people. Bill W. at Dr. Bob's Grave Ebby Thacher dies - 1966

Ebby Thacher died sober in 1966 at the age of 70

Although only 2 ½ years sober after a life-time’s association with AA, Ebby is owed a great debt of gratitude by Bill Wilson & Ebby Thacher the fellowship for passing the vital message of spirituality to Bill W. Bill W. dies at the age of 75 Bill W. died from emphysema on January 24th 1971 – his 53rd wedding anniversary

He was 75 years old and had been sober for 36 years

Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill was author of the Big Book and many other publications

Bill W. has been described as the greatest social architect of the 20th century Lois W. dies at the age of 97 Lois Wilson died on October 5th, 1988 – she was 97 years old. As well as looking after Bill during his drinking and then supporting his efforts to get AA established, Lois was a co- founder of Al Anon Family Groups

Saluted by many as being one of the most important women of the 20th century, Lois was awarded the prestigious Humanitarian Award by the National Council on Alcoholism The International AA Convention - held every 5 years

Over 50,000 attendees at the convention in Minneapolis in the year 2000 . Amazingly, over 50% had over 11 years + sobriety. AA Today • Alcoholics Anonymous has a membership of over 2 million members world-wide who meet in 120,000 groups • UK membership of about 40,000 meet in over 2,000 groups

• Meetings are held mainly in church basements and parish halls, thanks to the kind support of our clergy and the Quakers. We also meet in prisons, hospitals and schools

• Throughout the world, meetings are held in mud huts, wigwams, Las Vegas hotels, on beaches, Indian Reservations and on ships. Members go on sober cruises and vacations and ask for friends of Bill W. wherever they need help. In return, they pledge to help others wherever the hand of AA is needed.