August 4 in A.A. History

In 1947, the 80th U.S. Congress passed H.R. 2659, (“an act to establish program [sic] for rehabilitation of alcoholics, promote temperance, and provide for medical and scientific treatment of persons found to be alcoholics by courts of District of Columbia, and for other purposes”) into law. Julius S., a member of Washington, D.C.'s Alcoholics Anonymous Cosmopolitan Group, had testified at the hearings for this bill.

Today in A.A. History—August 4–5

In 2001, an ad hoc Roundtable met in Manhattan to discuss issues and plan future directions for Area access to group records maintained by the General Service Office (GSO). The Roundtable members were a mix of computer-savvy and less experienced A.A. members, including an Area Delegate, a regional Class B Trustee, at least four area registrars, and three representatives from GSO.
    There was general agreement to use the Microsoft Access database platform favored by the areas in a survey conducted by GSO. Participants also discussed the original purpose and future direction of the ‘DelArea’ program: a joint development between GSO and the Areas concerning group data management, update timing, and record-editing rights.
    One attendee noted, “We were fortunate in having a cross-section of service experience and computer capabilities,” adding that the new DelArea program “will encourage the frequent exchange of information and, consequently, the timely receipt of GSR (general service representatives) Kits for incoming GSRs.”

August 3 in A.A. History

In 1911, Earle M. [left] was born in Omaha, Nebraska. At the age of ten, he and his family—his father, mother, and brother—relocated to San Francisco, California, which he would come to regard as home. He later became a distinguished gynecological surgeon. In June 1953, he would get sober, and remain so for 49 years, until his death in 2003. His story, “Physician Heal Thyself” would appear in the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1918 [likely date], having crossed the North Atlantic Ocean, the H.M.T. Lancashire^* [right] arrived in Liverpool, England, carrying Bill W. and the Coastal Artillery Corps unit to which he belonged.

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^*Hired Military Transport, i.e., non-commissioned

In 1985, in her column [left, with an edited title], Ann Landers recommended Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, and Alateen in the Steubenville, Ohio, Herald-Star:

Dear Ann Landers: My friend was always a heavy drinker, but since his wife died he misses work repeatedly and get dead drunk on weekends.
    I have tried reasoning with him, but he gets angry and orders me out of his house. How can I help him? – No Name In New York
Dear No Name: Trying to reason with a drunk is like trying to blow out a lightbulb.
    When he is sober let the drinker know, in a nonjudgmental way, that you are concerned. Set aside your hostility and remember you are angry at the illness, not him.
    Contact the National Headquarters of the National Council on Alcoholism, 12 West 21st St., New York, N.Y., 10010. They will put you in touch with program and services in your area.
    Alcoholics Anonymous is the most effective organization for drunks who want to stop killing themselves. Al-Anon is a terrific support group for relatives of alcoholics who choose to hang in there. Alateen is a group for teenagers whose parent (or parents) are boozers. The majority of heartwarming thank-you letters I have received over the years have come from people I’ve sent to A.A. and Al-Anon.

In 1989, the Liberty Bell’s Group—“Half cracked but liberated from booze a day at a time”—was started at the First Lutheran Church [right], located at 217 N. Lindsay St., Lake Elsinore, California. An early meeting schedule [left, 2007] showed:

Mon.	Mixed	[Closed] As Bill Sees It
Thurs.	Mixed	[Closed] Big Book study
Fri.	Men Only	[Closed] 12×12
Sat.	Mixed	[Closed] Discussion
Last Sat. of Month	Mixed	Open Birthday Meeting and Pot Luck	6:30

    At some point, the group’s name would be changed to the more grammatically correct “Liberty Bell Group” (losing the possessive).

 

 

August 2 in A.A. History

In 1892, (Lawrence) Richmond W. [right] was born to Caroline and Joseph Richmond W. in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of six siblings, with two brothers and three sisters. 

    Rich would get sober and join Alcoholics Anonymous in May 1942. In 1948, he would self-publish his book, Twenty-Four Hours a Day (also known as “The Little Black Book”) [far left: 1st edition, 1st printing, cover; near left: pages 2–3]. He would later write For Drunks Only (1987) and The 7 Points of Alcoholics Anonymous (1989).

August 1 in A.A. History

In 1993, the General Service Office (GSO) in New York City made group information and contribution details accessible on 3½" floppy disks [left]—to General Service Areas that maintained their records digitally. This initiative resulted from a task force formed by GSO management to review and improve records-keeping procedures.

    In April, during the breaks on Tuesday and Thursday at the 43rd General Service Conference, delegates had the opportunity to attend a presentation of a computer software package demonstrated by two non-alcoholic GSO staff members. This software allowed areas equipped with the necessary technology to access group records retrieved from the GSO mainframe (an IBM AS/400 Model 40) [right, in the upper right corner of the image].