William Griffith Wilson

  • founding of Alcoholics Anonymous

    TITLE: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
    AA began in May 1935 in the meeting of two alcoholics attempting to overcome their drinking problems: a New York stockbroker, “Bill W.” (William Griffith Wilson [1895–1971]), and a surgeon from Akron, Ohio, “Dr. Bob S.” (Robert Holbrook Smith [1879–1950]). Drawing upon their own experiences, they set out to help fellow alcoholics and first recorded their...
    TITLE: alcoholism: Social treatment
    SECTION: Social treatment
    ...to share their common experiences in a spiritual setting and to help each other become and stay sober. AA was founded in the United States in 1935 by two alcoholics, Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson, both of whom had been strongly influenced by a spiritual revival movement called the Oxford Group. The members of AA strive to follow the “12 Steps,” a...