On June 10, 1935, Dr. Bob Smith of Akron, Ohio, took his last drink. It was on that day that the ex-alcoholic and his friend Robert H. Smith founded Alcoholics Anonymous, an up-and-coming organization. It is seen by its co-founders as a way to free themselves from the demon alcohol. Today, Alcoholics Anonymous groups are sprouting up everywhere.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual, not religious, journey that respects each member's right to anonymity. The goal of the organization is to give chronic drinkers moral support and a spiritual way of life that puts trust in the hands of something or someone outside themselves. Fellowship, frequent meetings for encouragement, and following the 12 steps are what the recovery program is composed of. The 12 steps are based on the presumption that alcoholics are helpless to control their cravings for liquor and must turn themselves over to a higher power.
Recently, in 1939, AA published the Big Book. It is a compilation of inspirational stories of sobriety mixed with pieces of organizational history. It is the basis of what AA is all about.
AA groups are becoming more and more common. There are 2,172 of them in Florida alone.
The organization rejects personal grandiosity, therefore there are no governing officers on a national level, no rules or regulations, and no fees or dues. It also shuns media coverage, except to invite other alcoholics to come to the group meetings.
"Alcoholics Anonymous is Founded." DISCovering U.S. History. Ver. 1.0 [CD-ROM], Detroit: Gale, 1997.
Susman, Carolyn. "60 Years of Sobriety." West Palm Beach Post 5 Oct. 1995, sec. D:1.