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Alcoholics Anonymous
& History of AA
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The Good Book in Early A.A. |
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Alcoholics Anonymous and A.A. History with Dick B. covers: (1) Dick B.'s 39 Christian Recovery titles & 300 articles on early A.A.'s biblical roots and successes; (2) Dick B.'s audio talks, radio talks & blog about early A.A.; (3) 20 years of research on 12 Step Christian origins; and (4) archives, links, & other resources on the history of A.A. |
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What Early A.A. Was Really Like
Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous History, Bill W., and Dr. Bob. This A.A. history web site focuses particularly on the roles God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible had in early A.A.’s astonishing, documented, 75% and 93% success rates (in Akron and Cleveland, respectively) among “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable,” alcoholics who really tried to establish or re-establish their relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son Jesus Christ.
A.A. Cofounder Bill W.'s Helpful Quotes
"I'll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I'll call on him." [Bill W., My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 2000), 145.]
"For sure I'd been born again." [Bill W., My First 40 Years, 147.]
"Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me [Bill W.], curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), 191.]
"I [Abby G.] wanted to know what this was that worked so many wonders, and hanging over the mantel was a picture of Gethsemane and Bill [W.] pointed to it and said, 'There it is,' . . ." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1975), 216-17.]
The Success of Early A.A. as Reported in
Alcoholics Anonymous
“Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.” [Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, 4th ed. (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), page xx.]
The Alcoholics Anonymous Original “Program”
as Was Reported by Frank Amos in
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
· An alcoholic must realize that he is an alcoholic, incurable from a medical viewpoint, and that he must never drink anything with alcohol in it.
· He must surrender himself absolutely to God, realizing that in himself there is no hope.
· Not only must he want to stop drinking permanently, he must remove from his life other sins such as hatred, adultery, and others which frequently accompany alcoholism. Unless he will do this absolutely, Smith and his associates refuse to work with him.
· He must have devotions every morning–a “quiet time” of prayer and some reading from the Bible and other religious literature. Unless this is faithfully followed, there is grave danger of backsliding.
· He must be willing to help other alcoholics get straightened out. This throws up a protective barrier and strengthens his own willpower and convictions.
· It is important, but not vital, that he meet frequently with other reformed alcoholics and form both a social and a religious comradeship.
· Important, but not vital, that he attend some religious service at least once weekly. [DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, 1980), 131.]
Much of this information you won't find in A.A.'s basic text (Alcoholics Anonymous) today or in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. But the simplicity of the original, early Alcoholics Anonymous Society (A.A.) will really astound you! And we are here speaking about the pioneer A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron that--at the hands of Bill W. and Dr. Bob--developed A.A.’s spiritual program of recovery and was led by Akron physician Dr. Bob by common consent. This Akron “Program”—with its five required elements and two optional ones--was thoroughly investigated, and reported on to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., by Rockefeller’s agent, Frank Amos, who soon became one of A.A.’s first nonalcoholic trustees. [See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980), 128-36—especially 131.]
How It Worked
Abstinence was Number One. Usually there was hospitalization or at least medical help to save the newcomer's life. At the hospital, the only reading material allowed in the room was the Bible. Recovered Alcoholics Anonymous drunks visited the patient and told their success stories. Dr. Bob visited daily. And he would explain the “disease” or “illness,” as it was then understood. The newcomer had to identify as an alcoholic, admit that he too was licked, and declare that he would do whatever it took to recover.
Reliance on the Creator was Number Two. DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers records on page 144 the statement of Clarence S. (who brought A.A. to Cleveland) as to how A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob talked with him about God while he (Clarence) was still in the hospital:
“Then he [Dr. Bob] asked, ‘Do you believe in God, young fella?’ (He always called me ‘young fella.’ When he called me Clarence, I knew I was in trouble.)
“‘What does that have to do with it?’
“‘Everything,’ he said.
“‘I guess I do.’
“‘Guess, nothing! Either you do or you don’t.’
“‘Yes, I do.’
“‘That’s fine,’ Dr. Bob replied. ‘Now we’re getting someplace. All right, get out of bed and on your knees. We’re going to pray.’
“‘I don’t know how to pray.’
“‘I guess you don’t, but that’s all right. Just follow what I say, and that will do for now.
“‘I did what I was ordered to do,” Clarence said. “There was no suggestion.”
The Alcoholics Anonymous newcomer would very soon be given the opportunity to “surrender” upstairs in the home of an Akron AA. This “surrender” involved the newcomer’s confessing Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in a prayer session resembling what is described in James 5:14-16. (This confession of Christ by which the newcomer became born again has been confirmed as a “must” by four different and well-known A.A. old-timers—J. D. Holmes, Clarence Snyder, Larry Bauer, and Ed Andy.) At the time of the newcomer’s “surrender,” the "elders" (usually Dr. Bob, T. Henry Williams, and one other person) prayed with the newcomer that God would take alcohol out of his life, and joined him in asking God that he (God) would guide the newcomer so that he might live according to God's will.
Obedience to God’s will was Number Three. Successful Alcoholics Anonymous members in Akron during the early years were expected to walk in love and to eliminate sinful conduct from their lives. Many newcomers were too sick to venture far from Akron; so they lived with the Smiths (and later others) in Akron homes. Early A.A. members who recovered from alcoholism with the help of Dr. Bob and other Akron AAs did not do so in an afternoon or in four easy lessons. They shook. They shivered. They fidgeted. They forgot. They were ashamed, insecure, and guilt-ridden. But they learned from the Good Book what a loving God had made available to them and that obedience to God’s will was the key to receiving it.
Growth in Fellowship with their Heavenly Father was Number Four. At the homes in Akron, AAs had daily Quiet Time. This included Bible study, prayer, asking guidance from God, reading a devotional, and discussing selections from Anne Smith’s journal. They shared their woes and problems with Dr. Bob, with Anne (his wife), and with Henrietta Seiberling. They also had personal Quiet Times at their homes and elsewhere when they were not together with other AAs. Alcoholics Anonymous members had one meeting a week. There were no “drunkalogs.” There was no “whining.” There was no “psychobabble.” They prayed, read from the Bible, and had Quiet Time. They used The Upper Room or similar devotionals for discussion.
Intensive help for other alcoholics was the Fifth element. Following the surrender of newcomers upstairs at the weekly meetings, announcements were made downstairs about Alcoholics Anonymous newcomers who had been placed at hospitals. Religious comradeship and attendance at a church of choice were the two recommended, but not required, elements of the Akron program. Socializing followed an A.A. meeting. And it started all over again. There were sessions with Dr. Bob involving doing a moral inventory (which related to adhering to the Four Absolutes—honest, purity, unselfishness, and love), confession, prayer to have the sins removed, and plans for restitution.
What Happened?
Did the Akron program work? You bet it did. Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron achieved a documented, 75% success rate among the "seemingly-hopeless," “medically-incurable” alcoholics who really tried. That success was primarily among Akron A.A. members. And the fact that they had been cured by the power of God was widely publicized across America. Soon, Dr. Bob’s sponsee, Clarence S., brought the Akron program to Cleveland and achieved a documented, 93% success rate in Cleveland.
The same God (the Creator of the heavens and the earth), the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Son of the living God), and the same Bible (the Word of God) that helped early AAs in Akron and Cleveland recover from and be cured of alcoholism are still available today to help alcoholics and others suffering with “life-controlling” problems. The principles and practices of the early A.A. program in Akron and Cleveland were very similar to the basic principles that had also been working in the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the YMCA, and Christian Endeavor. And they can and should be made available again today to those who still suffer.
And It Will Work Today!
Alcoholics Anonymous is certainly no longer a Christian fellowship (as it was in Akron); nor does it any longer require belief in God or even in anything at all. But, for those who do believe that the Creator of the heavens and the earth still can, and wants to, heal those suffering today, an accurate knowledge of A.A. history can help. That knowledge is vital too if the healing power of God is to be passed along to those in Alcoholics Anonymous who want it and who choose to receive it. As future A.A. nonalcoholic trustee Frank Amos reported to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the early Akron A.A. program took abstinence, God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, a life-change decision, living consistent with that decision, witnessing to others, fellowship with others, and time--lots of it. It was that simple. There were no “Steps,” and there was no “textbook.” The early AAs in Akron had Bibles. They had several Oxford Group precepts. They abstained from drinking and worked hard to avoid temptation. They relied on the Creator and His Son Jesus Christ. They endeavored to obey to God’s will—both through eliminating sin and by living a life of love and service. They sought to grow in fellowship with the Father, with His Son Jesus Christ, and with each other through Bible study, prayer, asking God for wisdom, and studying devotionals and other Christian literature. That was the program that Bill W., Dr. Bob and his wife Anne, and the other early A.A. pioneers founded in Akron during the summer of 1935. And the principles of that program can still help, and are helping, those still suffering today. As Dr. Bob—whom A.A. cofounder Bill W. called “the prince of all twelfth steppers” because he had personally helped more than 5,000 alcoholics to recover—stated in the last line of his personal story on page 181 of the Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!
The Dick
B. Christian Recovery Guide, 2d ed.
By Dick B. and Ken B.
Get up to Speed!
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Dick B.’s lifetime of Bible study, legal scholarship and training, 23 years of continuous sobriety, active participation in the A.A. Fellowship, experience sponsoring more than 100 sponsees, 19 hears of historical research, and 35 published titles.
This edition is the product of one year of conferences, meetings, and personal talks by the authors (Dick B. and Ken B.) with Christian recovery leaders and others from the United States and Canada. It is based on their needs, their suggestions, their responses, and the compelling need for “A New Way Out” for Christians in the recovery arena who are not, and don’t want to be, alone. It can be used as a guide by 12-Step members, sponsors, counselors, facilitators, Christian recovery pastors, Christian recovery groups, clergy, study groups, and those engaged in carrying the story of early A.A.’s Christian fellowship, simple program, and astonishing successes to fellowships, treatment facilities, prisons, homeless, veterans, military, and hospitals.
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Our Pages on Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous ;
“The Prince of all Twelfth Steppers”
Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous
Dick B.
© 2008 Anonymous. All rights reserved.
Summary of Contents
(May 15, 2008)
- Picture of Robert H. Smith, M.D. (A.A.’s Dr. Bob)
- Books about Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
- Photograph Pages
- Biographical Data
- The Dr. Bob Core Library at North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury, Vermont
- Eulogy for Dr. Bob delivered by Dr. Walter Tunks, Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio
Books about Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
(NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980)
RHS: Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Our Beloved Dr. Bob (New York: The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 1951, 1979)
The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical
Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (New York:
Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc., 1972, 1975)
Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer:
The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN:
Hazelden, 1994)
Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library: A Major A.A. Spiritual
Source, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research
Publications, Inc.,
1998)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbob.shtml
Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998).
URL: http://dickb.com/Akron.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book As a Youngster in Vermont (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2008)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob’s Days in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont–working title of work in progress.
Dick B., The Prince of All Twelfth Steppers: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous’ Cofounder Robert Holbrook Smith, M.D. (Dr. Bob)–work in progress.
A.A. History: Seven Major Spiritual Sources
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The Bible. A.A.'s basic ideas came from the Bible. For details, see Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible.
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Quiet Time and the daily devotionals--such as The Upper Room. For details, see Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A.
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The teachings of the Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. For details, see Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.
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The life-changing program of the Oxford Group. For details, see Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works.
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Anne Smith's spiritual journal (the journal kept and shared from 1933 to 1939 by Dr. Bob's wife with alcoholics and their families). For details, see Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939.
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The Christian literature early AAs read for spiritual growth. For details, see Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library; Anne Smith's Journal; The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous; The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth; and Bill Pittman, AA: The Way It Began.
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The United Christian Endeavor Society-- a worldwide organization, numbering 3,500,000 members at its peak, consisting primarily of young people supporting their particular church. It espoused most of the principles and practices that characterized the unique Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program. For details, see Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured. And Why; The James Club.
Additional Big Book and 12 Step Sources:
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William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. See the new biography of his life, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: The Biography of William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. by Dale Mitchel
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Carl Gustav Jung. See The Conversion of Bill W. by Dick B.
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William James, M.D. See The Varieties of Religious Experience.
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Richard Peabody, lay-therapist. See The Common Sense of Drinking.
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The New Thought Movement. See Mel B.’s New Wine: The Spiritual Roots of the Twelve Step Miracle.
For more information about the role of William D. Silkworth, M.D., in early A.A., please see Dick B.'s article " Dr. Silkworth on Jesus Christ;" the new Silkworth biography from Hazelden; and this excellent site: Silkworth.net.
A.A. History on Audio with Dick B.
Dick B. offers these insights “live” on audio:
The Dick B. Story
The Heart of A.A.
Alcoholics Anonymous History
An Important Lifetime Value
from Dick B.
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This one-of-a-kind, early A.A.history reference set provides
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nearly every A.A. subject from Anne Smith, to the Bible, to
Bill W., to Carl Jung, to William James, to Quiet Time devotionals, to books
pioneers read, to the Salvation Army, to
Dr. William D. Silkworth
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+ Last updated: |
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Contact Dick B. Many members of the pioneer Akron A.A. fellowship overcame their problems by (establishing or) deepening their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you want help following in their footsteps, please contact me:
Dick B. (808) 874-4876 |
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We strongly recommend that you acquire and study the A.A. General Service Conference-approved pamphlet, The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975). |
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Featured |
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Are There Two A.A.’s? |
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Present-day AAs—members of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous—certainly can’t be divided into two A.A.’s or ten A.A.’s. At least not the AAs that I met in April of 1986 when I entered the rooms. Nor the AAs I have fellowshipped with over the past 23 years. Nor the AAs I have met at International Conventions, regional conventions, gatherings like the “Spring Fling,” Big Book Seminars, Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron, the Wilson House in Vermont, the Snyder retreats in many states, the Roman Catholic retreat for AAs that I led in a monastery several years back, or just the plain old “meetings” that go on continually in communities wherever I go. The people differ. The behavior differs. The groups differ. But the doors are open to all who want to stop drinking. (read more) |
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Alcoholics Anonymous as I Have
Seen It |
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When I First Entered the Rooms on April 23, 1986 When I first entered the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous on April 23, 1986, I was a very sick man—about to get sicker. Years of sleeping pill dependence; a lesser number of years of excessive drinking; and the attendant departures from acceptable behavior had left me a depressed, defeated, ashamed, confused, and frightened person. Here are the folks who greeted me in my first few days of sobriety—a Big Book-thumping Roman Catholic; a Twelve Step-advocating Episcopalian; a vociferous and loving Jew; a newbee entrant who became my sponsor; and his unbelieving, newcomer-chasing sponsor, who became my grandsponsor. There were others who gave me their phone numbers, phoned me, invited me to follow them wherever they went, and almost uniformly insisted that I should not drink, no matter what. And I didn’t. Without their persisting friendship and help, I doubt that I would have stayed sober or stayed in Alcoholics Anonymous. But I did both—I’ve done both ever since--to this very date. |
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Strengthening the Faith of Christians in A.A., N.A., and Recovery Today Series Brief One: Bill Wilson’s Call on God for Help By Dick B.
©
2009 Anonymous. |
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Dr. William D. Silkworth advised Bill Wilson that Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, could cure Bill of his alcoholism. At the time of Bill Wilson’s third hospitalization in Towns Hospital, Bill had a discussion with his physician, Dr. William D. Silkworth, on the subject of the “Great Physician.” And Silkworth’s biographer Dale Mitchel wrote in Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: “Silkworth has not been given the appropriate credit for his position on a spiritual conversion, particularly as it may relate to true Christian benefits. Several sources, including Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Positive Power of Jesus Christ, agree that it was Dr. Silkworth who used the term ‘The Great Physician’ to explain the need in recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ. . . . In the formation of AA, Wilson initially insisted on references to God and Jesus, as well as the Great Physician. . . . Silkworth challenged the alcoholic with an ultimatum. Once hopeless, the alcoholic would grasp hold of any chance of sobriety. Silkworth, a medical doctor, challenged the alcoholic with a spiritual conversion and a relationship with God as part of a program of recovery. His approach with Bill Wilson was no different. . .
Strengthening the Faith
of Christians in A.A., N.A., and Recovery Today |
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A.A.’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Sharing by Christians
By Dick B. © 2009 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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The Approach Today, I received an email (part of which is set forth in this article) which asks my view on how a Christian can share his faith in an A.A. or N.A. meeting without violating the “Traditions.” Of course, I can’t and don’t speak either for A.A. or N.A. Nor can I or do I purport to be an interpreter of what is right or wrong, consistent or inconsistent, permissible or “forbidden” by the Twelve Traditions or in precisely how one should “take” the Twelve Steps.. Preliminarily, I do say that I can share my experience. I do say that the “Traditions” are neither laws nor rules nor governing edicts. They are simply suggestions that arose when, just before Dr. Bob’s death, Bill Wilson proposed as “traditions” some ideas from his own experience that he felt would help maintain the unity of his 12 Step fellowship program and its groups. There are no A.A. police. A.A. leaders do not govern. There is no power to “enforce” the ideas of Bill Wilson, Dr. Robert Smith, A.A. General Services, the Traditions, some A.A. leader, some A.A. group, and even some individual member. There is no index of forbidden books, and fellowship members can do or say or read or write what they like, whatever the clamor the remarks might cause. In fact, retiring A.A. “senior” advisor, former General Manager, and former Trustee Bob P. spoke specifically to this problem and the growing rigidity he had observed in his years of service.
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Can God Help Me? I’m an Alcoholic! Let’s Keep it Simple, and see what God has to say—Looking in the King James Version of the Bible where early AAs looked for answers By Dick B. © 2008 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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He will heal all that
obey His commandments: (Exodus 15:26—[the
LORD] . . said, If thou wilt diligently
hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in
his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I
will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the
Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth
thee.”). (Psalm 103:2-3—“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases”). God’s commandments and love summarized: (1) 1 Timothy 2:3-4—“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (2) John 3:16-17—“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (3) Matthew 22:36-40—Master, which is the great commandment in the law. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (4) 1 John 5:3—“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
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Is Alcoholics Anonymous Effective? A.A. Success Rates to Consider By Dick B. © 2008 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
| Is Alcoholics Anonymous Effective? There is no simple answer to that question relative to today’s A.A. In fact, several problems immediately pop up. The first concerns the question whether conventional and present-day surveys of the Alcoholics Anonymous Society can or do establish whether the A.A. Program of recovery itself effectively offers permanent sobriety to those alcoholics who still suffer and enter the A.A. rooms. The second concerns the critical issue as to whether, like A.A. cofounder Robert H. Smith, M.D. (“Dr. Bob”), the present-day survey has asked the afflicted person, “Do you believe in God, young fella?” The third asks the further question of the surveyor as to just which program, which belief system, and which A.A. era is involved in the path that has been followed by the new person being surveyed. |
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Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery and Other 12-Step Programs An Introductory History Segment By Dick B. © 2009 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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Description We believe every A.A. and other 12-Step program; recovery conference; recovery-oriented study group; treatment approach, counselor agenda; Christian recovery program; Christian recovery counselor; Christian recovery pastor; and recovery outreach program should include in its presentation the five (5) subjects listed in this introductory history segment outline:
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| A Great Song! |
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