Twelve Defining Moments in the History of Alcoholics Anonymous
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AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS 1995 WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE Our Vision and Our Hope in a Changing World Tarrytown, New York, April 23-27, 1995
AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS 1995 WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE Our Vision and Our Hope in a Changing World Tarrytown, New York, April 23-27, 1995 T ABLE OF CONTENTS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Admissions/Handbook Reportback .............................. 7 Inside AI-Anon ................................................................ 12 Alateen Presentation/Reportback .................................. 5 Institutions Presentation/Reportback ......................... 12 Approval of Annual Reports ........................................... 4 International Conventions Archives Reportback ......................................................... 6 1995 International ....................................................... 13 Ask-It-Basket .................................................................... 47 1998 AI-Anon/ Alateen International ...................... 13 Board of Trustees International Coordination Reportback ....................... 14 Concerns Regarding Board of Trustee Actions ...... 28 Literature Reportback .................................................... 15 AI-Anon Family Group Service Plan- Motions ............................................................................. 55 1995, The Year of Renewal .................................... 28 National Public Information Canada (NPIC) ............... 9 Five Year Plan ............................................................. 28 Nominating Committee Reportback ............................ 27 Long-Range Study Panel .......................................... -
April 2006 IAC Newsletter
April 2006 IAC Newsletter Thank you all very much for sending in contributions to the IAC. The Treasurer’s report follows: The ending balance on this statement is $6,665.21. Fees of $28.54 which consist of: Bill pay service fee $9.95 which Stan says will be reversed Canadian handling fee $5.00 Foreign check adjustment of $13.59 of Canadian Funds. The deposit of March 24th for the amount of $1,257.92 outstanding The depost of April 3 for the amount of $230.00 outstanding, mixed funds Canadian/US There are no outstanding checks nor are there any other bank fees to my knowledge. Each month we receive interesting articles from our IAC members. I am enclosing one to you for yoru perusal. [The City of Cleveland will be renaming a portion of E. 22nd St near St. Vincent Charity Hospital after Sr. Ignatia during a ceremony on April 1st] From "When A.A. Came of Age": "...Dr. Bob [entered]...the doors of St. Thomas Hospital, the first religious hospital to receive prospective members of A.A. for treatment on a regular basis. Here there developed that great partnership between Dr. Bob and the incomparable Sister Ignatia...Sister Ignatia's night supervisor wasn't very keen about alcoholics, especially the d.t. variety, and Dr. Bob had arrived with a request for a private room for his first customer. Sister Ignatia said, 'Doctor, we do not have any beds, much less private rooms'...[but] then into the hospital's flower room she slyly bootlegged A.A.'s first jittering candidate for admission...From 1939 to the time Dr.Bob took leave of us in 1950, over 5,000 had thus been treated. -
June 2020 the Alcoholics Anonymous San Fernando Valley Central Office Newsletter Remembering How It Started
RECOVERY TIMES Vol. 44, No. 6, June 2020 The Alcoholics Anonymous San Fernando Valley Central Office Newsletter Remembering How It Started Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. The date commonly referred to as the anniversary of AA is acknowledged as June 10, 1935, the date of Dr. Bob’s last drink. It is also the day the two men pledged to work on a program that would help others become sober. How the two met: Bill W. had been on a business trip to Akron, Ohio when he got the urge to drink. Using a church directory, he found Henrietta Seiberling, a member of the Oxford Group of Akron. Bill knew about the Oxford Group from his close friend Ebby Thatcher who had taken him to Oxford Group meetings in New York. Ebby had been a drinking buddy of Bill’s and told him that he had ‘found religion” and gotten sober. However, Bill’s moment of reckoning came while he was on his fourth admission to Towns Hospital under the care of Dr. Silkworth. While lying on the bed, he experienced a “hot flash” spiritual conversion where he called out to God and asked for help in getting sober. He then had the sensation of a bright light, a feeling of ecstasy, and a new serenity. Wilson described his experience to Dr. Silkworth, who told him not to discount it. After contacting Mrs. Henrietta Seiberling and asking for her help, she asked him to meet with one of their local drunks, a Dr. Robert Smith who the Oxford Group had not been able to help get sober. -
View of the Essentials of Group Cohesion
ABSTRACT THE SPIRITUAL DYNAMIC IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AND THE FACTORS PRECIPITATING A.A.’S SEPARATION FROM THE OXFORD GROUP by Andrew D. Feldheim Alcoholics Anonymous has grown since the mid-1930’s from a loose cohesion of individuals seeking recovery to iconic status as a paradigmatic self-help organization. Few people among the many familiar with A.A. are aware of its genesis from a popular Christian evangelical organization called the Oxford Group. This paper charts the course of A.A. from its Oxford Group roots, both in terms of historical development and the evolution of the spiritual dynamic that served as the functional nexus for both organizations. This paper also addresses key differences in the agendas of both groups that eventually necessitated their separation, as well as the questionable assumption that Alcoholics Anonymous is the more “secular” of the two. THE SPIRITUAL DYNAMIC IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AND THE FACTORS PRECIPITATING A.A.’S SEPARATION FROM THE OXFORD GROUP A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Comparative Religion By Andrew Feldheim Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2013 Advisor ________________ Elizabeth Wilson Reader _________________ Peter Williams Reader ___________________ SCott Kenworthy TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 1: History of the Oxford Group………………………………………………………3 Chapter 2: The Development of Alcoholics Anonymous……………………………...13 Chapter 3: The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions……………………………………32 Chapter 4: Response to an Anticipated Objection and Closing Remarks……..45 ii Introduction Most people have heard of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as many of the “spin offs” from this group, like Narcotics Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous. -
Sheets of Sobriety May 2020
Sheets of Sobriety May 2020 Subscribe Past Issues Translate RSS Sheets of Sobriety May 2020 [email protected] IN THIS ISSUE https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=e88c06528c4f4f9f727842ddf&id=2fb45f6278[5/5/2020 2:18:58 AM] Sheets of Sobriety May 2020 Meetings: We are still Zooming our way to meetings! Check out some new meetings. Interview with an "Old-Timer": What it was like to get sober 10 years ago Your Writings: Your experience, strength, and hope SOS Funnies: Not a Glum Lot History of Women in AA: In Honor of Mother's Day we are recognizing the pioneer women of AA Committee Announcements: What is going on with Intergroup? Ways you can be of service to your fellow alcoholics. Topic Time: Next month is for you, Dads! Where's the meeting? Indy Online AA Meetings is the most up to date information for online video meetings in the Indianapolis area. As https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=e88c06528c4f4f9f727842ddf&id=2fb45f6278[5/5/2020 2:18:58 AM] Sheets of Sobriety May 2020 meetings begin to go back to their regular brick and mortar style, we will keep this list as updated as possible. Word is that many of these online meetings are going to stick around, even after the world goes back to normal. So, no worries if you found one you really loved, chances are it's going to stay! Just be aware times/dates/links/passwords may be changing. On the spreadsheet there is an email if you have questions or updated information! The Token Shop has a great listing of online video meetings from all over the USA! 24/7 Online AA has meetings running every hour of day and night. -
JULY 2020 I Am Responsible When Anyone, Volume 44, #7 Anywhere, Reach- Es out for Help, I Want the Hand of A.A
JULY 2020 I am responsible when anyone, Volume 44, #7 anywhere, reach- es out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there, and for that I am respon- life·line | \ ˈlīf-ˌlīn : 1. A rope or line used for life-saving, typically one thrown to rescue someone in difficulties in water. 2. A thing on which someone depends for a means of escape from a difficult situation. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com An early criticism Washington D.C.- of Alcoholics Anony- Washington Colored mous was that its pro- Group later rechris- gram of recovery was tened The Cosmopoli- drawn primarily from tan Group) and details the collective experi- the experiences of ences of white men early Black AA mem- and thus unsuitable bers drawn from inter- for people of color. views and taped AA Such declarations talks with five key fig- have since been chal- ures (Bill Williams, lenged by surveys Jimmy Miller, Harold within communities of Brown, Dr. James C. color indicating AA as Scott, Jr., and John one of the preferred Shaifer). Heroes of choices for people Early Black AA closes seeking help with alcohol problems, recent surveys of with the story of Joe AA membership revealing significant (11-15%) repre- McQuany, widely known for his role in the Joe and sentation of non-White ethnic minorities, and studies of Charlie Tapes (Big Book Study Guide) that are revered treatment linkage to AA indicating that people of color by many within the AA fellowship. are as likely, or more likely, than Whites to participate in Three qualities distinguish Heroes of Early Black AA following professional treatment. -
Nature Coast Journal June 2020
1 NATURE COAST JOURNAL JUNE 2020 How Alcoholics Anonymous Got Started In 1931 an American business executive, Rowland Hazard, after trying all the possibilities of medi- cine and psychiatry in the United States, sought treatment for alcoholism with the famous psychia- trist Dr. Carl Jung in Switzerland. After a year of treatment, Rowland H. the alcoholic felt confident that his compulsion to drink had been removed. However, he found himself drunk shortly after leaving the care of Dr. Jung. Back again in Switzerland Rowland H the, dejected and depressed, was told by Dr Jung, that his case was nearly hopeless (as with other alcoholics he had treated) and that his only hope (might be) a spiritual conversion with a religious group of his choice. On his return to the United States , Rowland got in contact with the Oxford Group and soon so- bered up. The Oxford Group was an Evangelical Christian Fellowship founded by American Christian mis- sionary Dr. Franklin Buchman. Buchman was a Lutheran minister who had a conversion experi- ence in 1908 in a Chapel in Keswick , England . As a result of that experience, he founded a move- ment called A First Century Christian Fellowship in 1921, which had become known as the Oxford Group by 1931. The Oxford Group’s concepts were, total surrender of un-manageability of the problem, self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects (public confession), restitution for harm done, and working with others. The Oxford Group was not confined to members of alcoholics only; a mixed bag of ‘troubled souls’ were also welcomed. A chance meeting with Ebby Thacher, another chronic alcoholic who was about to be admitted to a Lunatic Asylum; Rowland H passed on the message Dr. -
Marty Mann and the Evolution of Alcoholics Anonymous
Marty Mann and the Evolution of Alcoholics Anonymous By Sally Brown Marty Mann is scarcely a household word today, yet she is arguably one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Marty's life was like a blazing fire, but was nearly extinguished by personal tragedy and degradation. She rose to a triumphant recovery that powered a historic, unparalleled change in our society. Through her vision and leadership, the attitude of America toward alcoholism was changed from a moral issue to one of public health. This was a tremendous shift, especially considering America's long temperance history that culminated in the Prohibition Amendment of 1920. Marty was able to accomplish these things despite numerous, very difficult setbacks along the way, any one of which might have overcome a lesser person. She would be the first to claim that her sobriety, found through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in its very earliest days, was the most important factor in her success. Indeed, she was the first woman to stay sober in AA -- from 1940 until her death in 1980. Marty was born into a life of wealth and privilege in Chicago in the early 1900s. Her family sent her to the best private schools. She was blessed with beauty, brains, a powerful will and drive, phenomenal energy and stunning charisma. She traveled extensively. She debuted, and then married into a wealthy New Orleans family. Her future seemed ordained to continue on the same patrician track except for one serious setback on the way. When Marty was 14, she was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB). -
What's What in Aa History
PLACES & THINGS IN AA HISTORY (Many heartfelt thanks go out to Archie M., who compiled this!!!) REFERENCES: (A) ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE (AA) (B) BILL W. by Robert Thomsen (C) CHILDREN OF THE HEALER by Bob Smith & Sue Smith Windows as told to P. Christine Brewer (D) DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLD TIMERS (AA) (E) A.A. EVERYWHERE ANYWHERE (AA) (G) GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN THERE by Nell Wing (H) THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART (AA) (L) LOIS REMEMBERS by Lois Wilson (N) NOT-GOD by Ernest Kurtz (P) PASS IT ON (AA) (S) SISTER IGNATIA BY Mary C. Darrah (SM) THE SERVICE MANUAL (AA) (TC) TWELVE CONCEPTS FOR WORLD SERVICE (AA) (W) A.A., THE WAY IT BEGAN by Bill Pittman (Note: Each snippet is referenced: example (B 147)=Bill W. page 147, (N 283)=Not-God page 283,(P 111)=Pass It On page 111.) 1st psychiatrists recognize A.A.'s effectiveness Dr. Harry Tiebout (A 2) (E 19) (G 66) (H 369) 1st Trustees Frank Amos (G 92) 1st 3 Steps culled Bill's reading James, teaching Dr. Sam Shoemaker & Oxford Group; 1st Step dealt calamity & disaster, 2nd admission defeat 1 could not live strength own resources, 3rd appeal Higher Power help (P 199) 1st 13th step Lil involved 13th step Victor former Akron mayor (D 97) 1st A.A. archivist Nell Wing (E 78) 1st A.A. Cleveland group meeting May 12, 1939 home Abby G. Cleveland Heights Cleveland, 16 members (A 21) (N 78) (S 32) 1st A.A. clubhouse 334 1/2 24th Street, 1940, old Illustrators Club (A viii,12,180) (B 304) (G 86) (H 47,147) (L 127,172) 1st A.A. -
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH 2015 the Washingtonian Temperance Society
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH 2015 The Washingtonian Temperance Society The Washingtonian movement was established in the 1840s by six alcoholics and reached some 600,000 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 prohibition, political reform and the abolition of slavery Disagreements, infighting and controversies led to the complete extinction of the movement The Oxford Group Movement A religious society formed by American Christian missionary Dr. Frank Buchman. 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 Although members of the Oxford Groups helped each other with many social and psychological problems including alcoholism, the focus of the movement became fragmented as war loomed in Europe. Frank Buchman was determined to bring the message of Christianity to Hitler and Mussolini The Oxford Group evolved into the Moral Re-armament Group and in 2001 was re-named ‘The Initiatives of Change’ ‘Bill W.’ - Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous Raised in East Dorset, Vermont Alcoholic grandfather Problems over his father’s drinking Father moved away – followed by Bill W's High his mother School Picture Childhood sweetheart (Bertha Bamford) died suddenly during an operation Bill’s birthplace – East Dorset, Vermont Bill had many talents: • Constructed 1st boomerang in the USA • Taught himself Morse code and made a transmitter / receiver • Taught himself violin Bill’s birthplace – the Wilson House • Studied law, engineering and chemistry • Spoke French 1st World War – Bill W. -
Big Book Name and Date References
Big Book Name and Date References (Compiled by Tony C. and Barefoot Bill) Pg/Ch. Name Description ----- ---- ----------- Preface xi written by Dr. Silkworth The Doctor's Opinion Preface 2Ed xv Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob during a talk between a NY stockbroker & Akron physician (they first met on 5/12/35) xvi Ebby Thacher alcoholic friend in contact with Oxford Group xvi Dr. Silkworth (named) NY specialist in alcoholism xvi Bill Wilson The broker xvi Dr. Bob the Akron physician xvii Bill Dotson AA#3 (sober date was 6/26/35, Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob first visited him on 6/28/35) xvii-iii Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick (named) noted clergyman xviii Fulton Oursler (named) editor of Liberty xviii John Rockefeller Jr (named) gave dinner xviii Jack Alexander (named) wrote Saturday Evening Post article xix Traditions all Twelve Traditions mentioned xx recovery rate from 1939-1955 Of alcoholics who came to AA & really tried, 50% got sober at once & remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with AA showed improvement Doctor's Opinion (was page 1 in the first edition of the Big Book) xxv-xxxii Dr. William D. Silkworth well known doctor (worked at Towns Hospital, N.Y.C.) xxv Bill Wilson patient he regarded as hopeless xxvii 9 years experience Dr. Silkworth had 9 years of experience with alcoholics & drug addicts when he wrote this xxvii Bill Wilson one of the leading contributors of this book xxxi Hank Parkhurst man brought in to be treated for chronic alcoholism xxxi Fitz Mayo another case, had hid in a barn Bill's Story (Bill Wilson) 1 Winchester Cathedral Bill Wilson has a spiritual experience ("Here I stood on the edge of the abyss into which thousands were falling that very day. -
Big Book Name and Date References (Compiled by Tony C
Big Book Name and Date References (Compiled by Tony C. and Barefoot Bill) Pg/Ch. Name Description ----- ---- ----------- Preface xi written by Dr. Silkworth The Doctor's Opinion Preface 2Ed xv Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob during a talk between a NY stockbroker & Akron physician (they first met on 5/12/35) xvi Ebby Thacher alcoholic friend in contact with Oxford Group xvi Dr. Silkworth (named) NY specialist in alcoholism xvi Bill Wilson The broker xvi Dr. Bob the Akron physician xvii Bill Dotson AA#3 (sober date was 6/26/35, Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob first visited him on 6/28/35) xvii-iii Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick (named) noted clergyman xviii Fulton Oursler (named) editor of Liberty xviii John Rockefeller Jr (named) gave dinner xviii Jack Alexander (named) wrote Saturday Evening Post article xix Traditions all Twelve Traditions mentioned xx recovery rate from 1939-1955 Of alcoholics who came to AA & really tried, 50% got sober at once & remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with AA showed improvement Doctor's Opinion (was page 1 in the first edition of the Big Book) xxv-xxxii Dr. William D. Silkworth well known doctor (worked at Towns Hospital, N.Y.C.) xxv Bill Wilson patient he regarded as hopeless xxvii 9 years experience Dr. Silkworth had 9 years of experience with alcoholics & drug addicts when he wrote this xxvii Bill Wilson one of the leading contributors of this book xxxi Hank Parkhurst man brought in to be treated for chronic alcoholism xxxi Fitz Mayo another case, had hid in a barn Bill's Story (Bill Wilson) 1 Winchester Cathedral Bill Wilson has a spiritual experience ("Here I stood on the edge of the abyss into which thousands were falling that very day.