After a 13-year struggle with the bottle, stockbroker Bill Wilson
took his last drink of the hard stuff on this day in 1934.
The following year, he along with Doctor Bob Smith, would
found Alcoholics Anonymous the groundbreaking program
that treated alcoholism not as a moral failing, but as a
disease.
In Akron, Ohio, Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, two
recovering alcoholics, founded Alcoholics Anonymous,
also known as "A.A.," a 12-step rehabilitation program
that eventually helped countless people cope with
alcoholism.
Based on psychological techniques that have long been
used in suppressing certain personality traits, members
of the strictly anonymous organization control their
disease through guided group discussion and
confession.
As of 2021, AA estimated it is active in 180 countries with
an estimated membership of nearly two million—73% in
the United States and Canada.
Other addiction support groups patterned on A.A. include
Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous.
In Akron, Ohio, Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, two recovering alcoholics, founded Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), a 12-step rehabilitation program that would eventually help countless
people cope with alcoholism.
Based on psychological techniques that have long been used
in suppressing certain personality traits, members of the strictly anonymous organization control their disease through guided
group discussion and confession.
Dr. Robert Smith (1879 – 1950) and Bill Wilson (1895 – 1971)
