Because he is considered by many to be the original founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, William Griffith Wilson, was called, “the greatest social architect of the Twentieth Century”, by Aldous Huxley a prominent writer of the era. The continued success of AA bears this out. AA and the concepts that originated in it have saved millions of lives. That is Bill Wilson’s legacy. This article is dedicated to Bill W. with gratitude and hope.
Early Life of Bill W
Appropriately, Bill Wilson who is generally referred to in AA as “Bill W” was raised by his maternal grandparents Gardner Fayette and Ella Griffith. Their home and livelihood was the Aeolus Inn and Tavern where Bill and his sister Dorothy apparently had a very happy childhood. However, Bill’s father was a hopeless drunk, until he had a spiritual experience on the top of a mountain.
Both Bill’s parents eventually abandoned their children, leaving them in the care of their grandparents. Their father never returned from a purported business trip, and their mother just up and went to Boston to train as an osteopath. Bill and Dorothy were raised by their maternal grandparents.
At the age of 22, Bill had his first drink, which provided him with a momentary boost in self-confidence and an escape from dysphoria. However, this initial feeling soon led to a struggle with alcoholism.
WWI and England
Bill Wilson spent his early years in East Dorset, Vermont, and entered Norwich University, a military college, also located in Vermont. He was activated and served US Coast Artillery Corp prior to graduating, during WWI, and was stationed in England. Bill’s Story in the Big Book recounts his encounter there outside Winchester Cathedral, with a tombstone of a soldier who died from drinking.
After the war, Wilson took a night law course at Brooklyn Law School in New York. However, by the time he had actually completed the course, which took several attempts, he decided that the law was not for him. Meanwhile, his drinking progressed, because, as AA members will point out, the disease of alcoholism “gets worse, never better.”
After developing an interest in the stock market, Bill spent some time making contacts with many influential people on Wall Street and, as a result of his efforts, was rewarded with a lucrative career. It was the roaring 1920s, and The U.S. was experiencing an economic boom. Many people, including Bill W., were making a lot of money betting on the stock market. During this time, Bill W. later wrote that his drinking “assumed more serious proportions”. He writes that he began drinking almost continuously.
Ebby Thatcher
Ebby Throckmorton Thatcher was a friend of Bill Wilson from his college days, and had himself battled with alcohol, and had a history of admission to mental wards and jails due to his drinking. On the occasion of his last bender, three members from the Oxford Group persuaded the judge to give Thacher over to their custody. There he was taught the principles and the ideas he eventually imparted to Bill W. and that later became the 12 steps of AA.
The Oxford Group
After many years of suffering and misery due to his alcoholism, Bill W eventually got sober, with the help of Ebby Thatcher. Their first meeting is detailed in the front of the Big Book in a story titled “Bill’s Story”. Because they had been drinking buddies in the past. Ebby contacted Bill W and told him he wanted to meet with him. Bill was excited to meet and re-live old times. He was hoping they might go on another bender.
However, he was surprised and disappointed to find that his former drinking partner was now sober for several months, and involved with the Oxford Group. The group was organized around the belief that selfishness and fear were at the root of all human problems, and the solution was to “surrender one’s life over to God and God’s plan”. Both of these ideas are embodied in the concept of a spiritual experience put forth in The Big Book that is published by Alcoholics Anonymous. They are also incorporated in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
At their meeting, Bill listened to his friend talk about his newfound sobriety. Ebby spoke of accepting the concept of a power greater than oneself. But because Bill expressed a resistance to God, Ebby suggested he use his own conception. After listening to Ebby talk for some time, Bill eventually thanked Ebby but said that he wasn’t quite ready yet to stop drinking. He still believed he had another spree, or maybe two, left in him.
Between 1930 and 1934 Bill Wilson was admitted to Towns Hospital in New York four times for treatment of alcoholism. After being admitted for the last time in December of 1934, Bill W was finally able to get sober. He was 39 years old.
The Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous began on June 10, 1935. The founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a story of two men, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who met in Akron, Ohio, in 1935. Both were struggling with alcoholism and had tried various methods to overcome their addiction, but nothing seemed to work. Their chance meeting marked a turning point in their lives and the beginning of a global movement.
Bill Wilson, often referred to as Bill W., was on a business trip to Akron when he felt the urge to drink. Desperate to stay sober, he reached out to a local church directory and was put in touch with Dr. Bob Smith, a local surgeon who was also battling alcoholism. The two men met and spent hours sharing their experiences, fears, and hopes. They discovered that by supporting each other and sharing their stories, they could remain sober.
This encounter was the genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous. The first AA group was formed in 1935, with Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith as its founding members. They began holding meetings in Dr. Bob’s home, where they shared their experiences with other alcoholics. The success of these meetings led to the formation of more AA groups, and the organization began to grow rapidly.
In 1939, Bill Wilson published the book “Alcoholics Anonymous,” which outlined the 12-step program that would become the cornerstone of the organization’s philosophy. The book, often referred to as the “Big Book,” provided a detailed guide for achieving and maintaining sobriety. It emphasized the importance of admitting powerlessness over alcohol, seeking help from a higher power, and making amends for past wrongs.
The principles outlined in the Big Book resonated with many, and AA groups began to spring up across the United States and eventually around the world. The organization’s emphasis on anonymity, self-help, and mutual support created a unique and effective approach that has helped millions of people achieve sobriety.
A Mental Obsession
Prior to the founding of AA, the inability to control one’s alcohol consumption was considered a moral failing, it was thought by some (and still is) that someone addicted to alcohol should be able to stop on their own. Because of his involvement with Dr. William D. Silkworth as well as other prominent medical figures of the time, Bill W introduced another way of understanding addiction to alcohol – that it was “an allergy of the body combined with an obsession of the mind”.
Dr. Silkworth also discovered through his experience in treating alcoholics that to achieve sobriety, the individual also needed to experience what he called a “psychic change”. He writes in “The Doctor’s Opinion” that once this mysterious event occurred, the person who had originally appeared to be hopeless was able to stop drinking.
Physical Allergy
One of the most important ideas to come out of all of this is simple, and is repeated in AA meetings across the globe: “Don’t take the first drink, and you can’t get drunk!” AA introduced the idea that a physical allergy of the body combined with an obsession with the mind is responsible for an inability to stop drinking. And because of Bill and many others, the idea that you are allowed to have your own conception of a Higher Power has allowed many with misgivings to achieve sobriety through the Twelve Steps.
Wilson House
The Hotel and Bar that was originally owned by Bill Wilson’s grandparents in East Dorset VT, is currently known as Wilson House. It has become a tourist destination for sober AAs visiting and living in Vermont. Here’s looking at you, Bill.
The Saturday Evening Post
An article about Alcoholics Anonymous written in March 1941 by Jack Alexander was published in a very popular weekly magazine called The Saturday Evening Post, membership in AA really began to grow.
Following the publication of ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ by Jack Alexander, the Post floor received an unusually large mail from readers, much of it asking how contact could be established with groups who are doing this work in various cities. There were several instances of calls on our branch offices for information on local organizations of this unusual group.”
Bill Wilson then wrote another book to accompany the Big Book. Titled “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”, it was first published in April 1953. The book goes into further detail with regard to the steps and explains the history of, and the struggle to establish, the Twelve Traditions.
The American Medical Association (AMA)
In 1956, the success AA had helped so many hopeless alcoholics get sober, it prompted the American Medical Association to officially recognize alcoholism as a disease. Prior to that time compulsive drinking was considered to be a moral failing or a failure of willpower.
In 1991, the AMA further endorsed a more detailed classification of addiction to alcohol in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO). The AMA updated the definition of alcohol use disorder to include psychiatric as well as medical definitions.
Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous
Because alcoholism is very much a family disease, Bill’s wife, Lois Wilson, founded Al-Anon in 1951 and then Ala-teen in 1957. Prior to that time, the wives and friends of alcoholics attended AA meetings with their family members. Lois and the others had realized the concepts embodied in the 12 steps were helping them as well. However, it was soon realized they needed a separate program.
The first Al-Anon meeting was held in the home of Bill and Lois, and is now known as the Stepping Stones Foundation, located in Bedford Hills, New York. The Al-Anon and Ala-teen programs have helped millions to regain control of their lives through using the principles and the fellowship provided by these two organizations.
Final Days
Bill Wilson maintained his sobriety from alcohol until his death. Bill Wilson was also a heavy cigarette smoker, and at age 75, on June 24, 1971, died of complications related to emphysema and cardiac complications a few hours after he had been flown by private plane to the Miami Heart Institute, in Miami Beach.
Bill W’s wife Lois, who founded Al-Anon, died at age 97 they are both buried in East Dorset Cemetery. Although she had experience as an interior decorator, she was forced to take employment in a department store to support Bill and herself during the final years of Bill’s drinking. It was during this time that Bill was unable to function without alcohol in his system, and this limited his prospects for employment.
Books and Literature
A very popular source of information and guidance for many sober AA’s comes from the Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, in New York. They publish a monthly magazine titled The AA Grapevine, which you can either subscribe to or view online, at aagrapevine.org.
In addition to the books titled, “Alcoholics Anonymous”, “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”, and As Bill Sees, Bill Wilson’s life story has inspired many autobiographies by alcohol and drug addicts there are a variety of other books that tell the story of how people have recovered from a seemingly hopeless condition.
One of the most referenced books in 12 step circles comes from another very influential member of AA by the name of Chuck C. Published by New Look Publishing is titled, “A New Pair of Glasses”. Chuck Chamberlain, (1902-1984), was a well known AA member, in Southern California. His story details his spiritual experience in AA.
Another book worth reading is published by Washington Square Press titled “Note Found in a Bottle: My Life as a Drinker” by Susan Cheever, the daughter of famous novelist John Cheever. Her book combines an extensive knowledge of history along with her personal journey of spirituality and recovery.
Impact and Recognition
The impact of Alcoholics Anonymous on the lives of people worldwide cannot be overstated. The organization’s 12-step program has become a model for other recovery programs like Turning Point of Tampa. The principles of AA have been applied to programs like Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous, which have also seen significant success.
One of the unique aspects of AA is its emphasis on anonymity, self-help, and mutual support. This approach has created a safe and supportive environment for individuals struggling, allowing them to share their experiences and support each other in their journey to sobriety. The organization’s success has been recognized by medical professionals and organizations around the world, who have endorsed its methods and principles.
One of the 100 most important people of the 20th century
In 1999, Time magazine named Bill Wilson one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century, citing his role in founding AA and his profound impact on the chronic alcoholic finding sobriety. This recognition highlights the significant contributions of AA to the field of mental health and medicine.
Today, Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the largest and most successful organizations in the world, with millions of members and thousands of meetings held every day. The organization’s success has inspired the creation of other recovery programs that have adopted similar 12-step approaches, further extending the reach and impact of AA’s principles.
The legacy of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith lives on through the countless individuals who have found hope and recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous. Their pioneering work has transformed the way society views and treats addiction, providing a path to sobriety for those who once felt hopeless.
Turning Point of Tampa
Turning Point of Tampa offers a full continuum of care with Medical Detox, Residential Treatment, Day Treatment with housing (PHP), and Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) for alcohol and drugs. We also offer treatment for eating disorders and dual diagnosis.
Turning Point of Tampa welcomes Veterans to the program and has dedicated some specific support groups and therapy styles for their related needs. We are In-Network with most major medical insurance companies, which will allow you to utilize your health insurance to get help.
Turning Point of Tampa’s goal is to always provide a safe environment, and a solid foundation in 12-Step principles, combined with quality individual therapy and group therapy. We have been offering Licensed Residential Treatment for Substance Abuse, Eating Disorders, and Dual Diagnosis in Tampa since 1987.
If you need help or know someone who does, please contact our admissions department 24 hrs per day.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_W.
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.5.1037
