The Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous

Surgeon Robert Smith and stock analyst William Wilson (known for many years as "Dr. Bob" and "Bill W.") were two alcoholics who initially launched Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935. The beginning of this organization was somewhat similar to that of the Washingtonians, who were also alcoholics who decided to reform. The two men met in Atlantic City in 1935 when Dr. Smith was attending a medical convention, introduced by mutual contacts. The two realized that to carry their message of sobriety, they needed to tell their stories to others. They also realized that to stay sober themselves, they needed to help other people stay sober.

Smith and Wilson agreed that by themselves they were helpless against their addiction to alcohol, and they hoped that by sharing their story with others with the same problem, they could remain sober. The name of the organization was created in 1939. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was a self-help organization with only two requirements: the sincere desire to stop drinking and also the willingness to help others who were dependent on alcohol. AA also revived the notion that alcoholism was a disease, rather than an immoral choice made by weak or degenerate individuals.

Wilson drafted what was to be referred to as the AA "Big Book," inculcating their major principles and beliefs. Supposedly the printer was ordered to use the thickest paper possible so that the book would seem big and important to the reforming alcoholics who would read it. Physicians were disinterested in the book, but a groundswell of support grew through meetings of alcoholics in cities on the East Coast.

Alcoholics Anonymous was and continues to be a great success. By the late 1970s, more than 500,000 people had joined the organization. There were also two other organizations that were created as spinoffs of Alcoholics Anonymous, including Al-Anon, founded to help the families of alcoholics, and Alateen, for the adolescent family members of alcoholics. Some groups and individuals have criticized AA for its emphasis on the importance of abstinence, and others have stated that the group is oriented more towards white, middle-class alcoholics. Yet the group has many black, Hispanic, and other minority members, so the criticism seems unfounded.

Many alcoholism treatment groups require membership in AA, as do many courts; for example, if a person has been found guilty of driving while intoxicated, the court may require the person to attend AA meetings as part of his or her sentence.

AA does not work with everyone, but it has had many successes, and it is one very important means for alcoholics to regain control of their lives.

All A.A.'s Ideas Were Borrowed, said Bill W. Early in its founding years, A.A.'s co-founder Bill Wilson put the torch to the idea that A.A. sprang from just one source. He said frankly that nobody invented A.A. He said all its ideas were borrowed. And Dr. Bob broadened the source picture by pointing out that all the basic ideas came from the Pioneers' study of the Bible.