The History of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or the Friends of Bill W., as its members often call themselves, is an organization whose mission is to assist problem drinkers get sober. Though it is not technically a religious group, it is deeply rooted in Christian principles and terminology, and utilizes methods learned from certain Christian groups. Strength through community, though, is the primary resource AA offers its members, who by sharing their life stories and meeting other alcoholics, are encouraged to avoid alcohol altogether. For almost 100 years, Alcoholics Anonymous has inspired sobriety through its Twelve Traditions, the original 12-step program, and is renowned for its successes amongst the most incorrigible, once thought hopeless, alcoholics.
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Early Influences
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The origin of AA can be traced directly to the Oxford Group, a nondenominational Anglo-American religious movement focused on self-improvement. Several of the techniques popular amongst the Oxford Group, such as self-reflection, prayer, admission of wrongdoing, and repairing strained relationships, became the core of the AA approach to alcoholism. In the early 1930s, a small group of affluent alcoholics found sobriety with the Oxford Group, starting the chain of events that would lead to the founding of AA.
Bill W.
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Bill Wilson ("Bill W.") had tasted the high life of Wall Street's power brokers, but his career had imploded under the weight of constant drinking. Though initially skeptical, in 1934, Wilson finally took the advice of a friend who had quit drinking with the help of the Oxford Group approach. Under their guidance, Wilson learned to think of alcoholism as a disease for which the only cure is total abstinence. He experienced a powerful personal transformation, and, while speaking about his experience at Oxford Group events, Wilson began to be approached by other alcoholics looking for help with their own recoveries.
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Foundation
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Though Wilson was initially unsuccessful in aiding fellow alcoholics, he remained determined to stay sober himself. At a critical moment of temptation in Akron, Ohio, Wilson sought the aid of a local pastor in finding other struggling alcoholics with whom he could stave off the temptation to drink. One in particular, a "Dr. Bob," joined Wilson in several hours of discussion. Building on the Oxford Group's disease view of alcoholism, they begin to understand the power of addressing sobriety one day at a time, an approach that emphasizes the support of fellow alcoholics. Though Dr. Bob relapsed into drink soon after, he quickly recovered. June 10, 1935, the day of Dr. Bob's last drink, is generally considered the founding date of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Expansion
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Wilson and Dr. Bob visited local Akron hospitals for alcoholics in need of hope. Their focus on sobriety one day at a time yielded results and attracted attention. By 1939, they were helping about 100 members. Wilson published the book Alcoholics Anonymous (known by members as The Big Book), which gave the organization its name. He then traveled across the country giving speeches, and local chapters of AA began to spring up following Wilson's model. In 1942, the first prison chapter of AA met in San Quentin after the warden recruited local AA members to help address the special needs of alcoholic inmates.
Further Developments
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Over the following decades, Wilson watched AA grow into a national and then international organization. In 1955 he formally transferred stewardship of the organization to the General Service Conference. Related groups Al-anon and Alateen were founded as support groups for families and children of alcoholics. By the 50th anniversary of The Big Book in 1989, 8 million copies had been sold worldwide. In 2001, worldwide membership in AA was estimated at 2 million.
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