Notes for Alcoholics Anonymous
Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith were the co-founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous. Their meeting in Akron, Ohio on Mother's Day in 1935
is considered to be the beginning of AA.
Chapter 1 of the Big Book (the popular name for the book Alcoholics Anonymous) is "Bill's
Story." It sets the model for the stories speakers in meetings
still tell today. But what kind of story is it? It is a
type of autobiography.
Several types of biography have emerged over the centuries.
- Military & Political
autobiography. Caeser wrote an autobiography that centered on
his public life as a politician and general.
- Spiritual autobiography.
Augustine wrote an autobiography that focused on his movement from sinner to saint.
- Economic & Political
autobiography. Ben Franklin's autobiography personalized one
form of the American Dream as he moved from rags to riches and from riches into public service.
- Philosophical autobiography.
Boethius in the Consolation of
Philosophy wrote about the meaning philosophy had for him while
he was in jail.
- Slave narrative.
Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs are examples we've read of slaves
who struggled for freedom.
Bill's story starts with war, but isn't a military autobiography.
It moves on to Wall Street, but it isn't an economic
autobiography. Setting out to follow in Ben Franklin's footsteps
and become wealthy, drink takes over his life and destroys his
career. His life takes an upturn when a meeting with an old
friend, Ebby Thatcher, introduces him to a spiritual way of life.
His story turns into a spiritual autobiography.
Ebby and Bill sobered up under the preaching of Sam Shoemaker.
Bill asked Shoemaker to write parts of the Big Book, but he advised the
alcoholics to write it themselves. His influence on the movement
is strong, and his poem "The Doorkeeper"
reflects the idea of sponsorship where an old-timer introduces a
newcomer to the program. "Dr. Bob's Nightmare" shows this
tradition--Bill helps Dr. Bob to keep himself from relapsing.
Bill, Dr. Bob, and others recovered by following the Twelve Steps, which are not a list of
commandments or virtues, such as Ben Franklin's thirteen virtues.
Rather, they are a series of actions which, when followed, helped them
stop drinking. They also started a spiritual movement during the
modern era, when many people had lost their faith in spiritual answers.