Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous Bill W. and Dr. Bob

Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous Bill W. and Dr. Bob Addiction Alcohol Use Print The Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on November 24, 2019 Steve Debenport/Getty Images More in Addiction Alcohol Use Binge Drinking Withdrawal and Relapse Children of Alcoholics Drunk Driving Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery A seemingly unplanned meeting in Akron, Ohio in 1935 between the future founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, both of whom were termed hopeless alcoholics, began a program of recovery that has helped millions find sobriety and serenity. Bill W. Bill W., a  stockbroker from New York,  was one of those men. In fighting his own battle against drinking, he had already learned that helping other alcoholics was the key to maintaining his own sobriety, the principle that would later become step twelve in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He had been sober for about five months  had traveled to Akron, Ohio on May 12, 1935, for a shareholders meeting and proxy fight, which did not turn out his way.   Bill W. Meets Dr. Bob at a Bar After losing the proxy fight, Bill found himself alone and depressed, according to accounts of the events. He felt drawn to the bar in the Mayflower Hotel where he was staying. Fighting desperately to maintain his sobriety, his immediate reaction was, Ive got to find another alcoholic. There are conflicting versions of exactly what happened next, but the result was Bill W. ended up a meeting with an Akron surgeon, forever to be remembered simply as Dr. Bob, who had struggled for years with his own drinking problem. Dr. Bob Gets Sober The effect the meeting had on Dr. Bob was immediate and soon he too put down the bottle (June 10, 1935), never to pick it up again. The bond formed between the two men would grow into a movement that would literally affect the lives of millions. The First 100 Alcoholics Sober Starting in an upstairs room at Dr. Bobs home in Akron, the two men began helping alcoholics one person at a time. It took four years to get the first 100 alcoholics sober in the first three groups that formed in Akron, New York, and Cleveland. But after the publication in 1939 of the groups textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the publication of a series of articles about the group in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the A.A. rapidly developed and the membership in the Cleveland group soon grew to 500. Alcoholics Anonymous Grows to 6,000 The response was so overwhelming, the group found itself sending out members, who had only a short time in the program themselves, to work with other new members. For the first time, the founders learned they could mass produce recovery and be not limited to the ground that they themselves could cover. After a dinner in New York in 1940, given by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to publicize the group, membership soon grew to 2,000. An article in the Saturday Evening Post in 1941 resulted in another growth period and membership in the United States and Canada rose to a reported 6,000. The Legacy of AA By 1951, Alcoholics Anonymous had helped more than 100,000 people recover from alcoholism, and by 1973, more than one million copies of The Big Book had been distributed. By 2000, the number of copies sold had reached 20 million and by 2010 more than 27 million copies had been purchased. Since that time, the fellowship has continued to grow and has become worldwide. A number for Alcoholics Anonymous can be found in the white pages of virtually every local telephone directory. Today members can also attend electronic meetings from any computer, cell phone or mobile device. Dr. Bob died Nov. 16, 1950, and Bill W. passed on Jan. 24, 1971, but the legacy they left behind continues to touch the lives of millions. The Significance of Dr. Bobs Last Drink