Alcoholics Anonymous

AA was founded when Dr. Bob Smith took his last drink on June 10, 1935. Dr. Bob and fellow alcoholic Bill Wilson stopped drinking by calling upon a higher power, and by 1939 their program had helped 100 people. It was Wilson who wrote The Big Book entitled "Alcoholics Anonymous" from which the organization draws its name. The book, of course, lays out the twelve step program which is now followed by nearly 2 million people worldwide.

Dr. Bob never drank again until his death in 1950. Bill W., on the other hand, lived a longer and some might say a more interesting life. In addition to alcohol, Bill W. was hopelessly addicted to cigarettes and sex. It was his pattern to hit on younger women following AA meetings, and he cheated on his wife repeatedly. The smoking resulted in emphysema and his eventual death in 1971. On his deathbed he asked for a shot of whiskey, but those in attendance never gave it to him.

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