December 11 in A.A. History

In 1934, it was a typical winter day in New York City, with temperatures around 20℉ [-6.7℃], accompanied by wind and clouds. Following an angry argument with his wife, Lois [near right], the day before, Bill W. [far right] spent a disastrous night on the subway begging for money to buy booze, then drinking himself into oblivion. Bill returned home to 182 Clinton St., Brooklyn, in the morning. Lois was at work.
    Upon seeing the damage he had inflicted by throwing Lois’ sewing machine against the wall during their fight, Bill felt a deep sense of remorse. Remembering Ebby T.’s success with the Oxford Group, he wrote a note for Lois explaining that he was heading to Charles B. Towns Hospital [left, c. 1940] for his fourth round of treatment for alcoholism there. With only 6¢ in his pocket and the subway fare costing a nickel, he stopped at a grocery store where he still had credit and bought four bottles of beer. He arrived at Towns Hospital with a beer in one hand and two philosophy books in the other, announcing to Dr. Silkworth [right] that he had found the answer. Those beers would be Bill’s last, as he was admitted for the final time to undergo the Towns-Lambert treatment.^*
    For the rest of his life, Bill would give this date as the day of his last drink.

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*The treatment in brief: Every hour, day and night, for two days, administer a mixture of three herbal extracts: Belladonna (deadly nightshade, 7.4 ml) [top right], Hyoscyamus (prickly ash, a trace?) [middle right], and Xanthoxylum (henbane, 3.7 ml) [bottom right] (note that omitting any of these ingredients interferes with the “cessation of desire” effect, i.e., stopping cravings). The dosage depends on the body's reaction to belladonna. If the face flushes, the throat dries, and the pupils dilate, stop or reduce the dosage until these symptoms subside. However, the treatment must continue until these signs appear, or the cravings will not disappear completely. Additionally, every twelve hours, administer a strong laxative of C.C. (Compound Cathartic) pills (80 gr. extracti colocynthidis compositi, 60 gr. hydrargyri chloridi mitis, 16 gr. cambogiae and 20 gr. resinae jalapae) and blue mass (typically 34% rose honey, 33% mercury, 25% althea (or hollyhock or marshmallow), 5% licorice and 3% glycerin). Once a significant number of green stools appear, give castor oil to completely cleanse the gut.

In 1937 , Dr. Bob S. [far left] and Paul S. [near left] drove from Akron to Brooklyn, arriving late in the day. They would be among the alcoholics attending a dinner given by associates of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. the following Monday, two days later.

In 1941, in Texas, The Dallas Morning News reported, “Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter Formed Here to Aid Victims” [right].