November 25 in A.A. History

In 1940, Dave W., who would become one of the founding members of A.A. in Seattle, Washington, learned that the national secretary at the Alcoholic Foundation with whom he had been corresponding—R. Hock—was a woman! He decided to conceal this information from other men with whom he was working.

In 1947, Mrs. Marty M. spoke to the Economic Club of Detroit—and a radio audience—about the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA) and about Alcoholics Anonymous. She began,

    I stand before you here today on behalf of two groups. One group is made of free people, free because they have knowledge. The other group is made up of prisoners, prisoners of their condition, held prisoners by ignorance and fear.
    The first group is that whom I officially represent, the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism, made up of men and women of science and medicine of the clergy and of the arts, of business and of public life who are aware of the nature of this problem and who are determined to do something about it.
    They have done me the honor of appointing me Executive Director of that group and have made me the spokesman for their program.
    The other group has not appointed me. The other group is not organized. It frequently does not know there is a group.
    These prisoners that I spoke of are the alcoholics of America, three million strong.
    Many of them are unaware of their own condition; are unaware of its nature; and are unaware that there is anything whatsoever to do about it.
    They did not need to appoint men; I belong to that group. I myself shared their condition of being a prisoner until the truth made me free.

November 24 in A.A. History

In 1895, John Paul S., usually called Paul, was born to Emma Savercool and Charles S. in Pennsylvania, probably somewhere near Scranton, where he was christened on 29 December. He met Dr. Bob S. in January 1936 and sobered up on 2 July 1936. His story, “Truth Freed Me!” appeared in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1939, Mrs. J. J. Stewart, of Seattle, Washington, whose husband was an alcoholic, wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation, “[W]e have the book Alcoholics Anonymous and have read it,” then asked if there was any A.A. unit in Seattle. The return letter, almost three months later, would suggest she contact “the growing Fellowships in San Francisco and Los Angeles.” Mrs. Stewart’s letter was Seattle's first contact with A.A. She would eventually be involved in starting Seattle’s first A.A. group, although her role is uncertain.

In 1942, Rev. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick was the speaker at the 8th anniversary dinner of the Manhattan A.A. group. In 1939, he had written the first favorable review of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, for Religious Digest.

In 1976, Elise Valentine Shaw, 85, died. She was Lois W.’s oldest and closest friend (since childhood); the widow of Bill W.’s Wall Street patron, Frank Shaw; and the matron of honor at Bill and Lois W.’s wedding.

November 23 in A.A. History

In 1939, Ray W., who had just held the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on the west coast of North America, wrote to Ruth Hock, National Secretary for the Alcoholic Foundation, about that meeting.

Dear Miss Hock -
   You probably think I am an awful piker for not having acknowledged your letters sooner.
   As a matter of fact I have seen quite a number of individuals whose names you sent — some of them several times. I won’t go into detail here except to say that I had three (3) of the best “bets” -— Ted C, Dave L, and Don B for several hours with the result that they are going to start a group here and start in by taking care of all the others who wrote you. Dave had his secretary make carbons of the lists you sent and I started them in by having them make some “dates” with some of our prospects over the phone from my room. I talked to them first then turned the phone over to the boys here. Things look better than I would have hoped for.
   You know, I had the misguided idea that I had been busy at other times in my life, but until I made this trip I didn’t know what it was to be busy. They have been “on my neck” day and night. You will hear from some of them and I will give you all the dope when I get back.
⋮ [Here Ray wrote two paragraphs on other matters]
   Will be back Tuesday and give you a ring.
Best regards to everyone, Ray W

    Gabriel Heatter had said that if just one person was helped by hearing Morgan Ryan's A.A. story, which had aired on Heatter’s “We the People” radio show in April, it would be a real service. Well, very many people were helped by that broadcast and what followed. Today, 85 years after that first meeting, there are over 600 A.A. groups in San Francisco alone, and many thousands more in California and other parts of the West.

In 1941, although there were earlier A.A. meetings, the Seattle Group became the first Alcoholics Anonymous group in Seattle, Washington. It had three members: Dale A. [right], Bob E., and Lindsay M. The group would struggle for most of the next year. Dale and Lindsay were the only regulars. In December, Lindsay would join the Merchant Marine, leaving Dale pretty much alone. He was determined to keep A.A. going in Seattle and he succeeded. As a result, he is considered by many to be the founding father of A.A. in Seattle and the state of Washington.

November 22 in A.A. History

In 1912, in Manchester, Vermont, the Rev. Sidney Warlow of Arlington, Vermont, assisted by the Revs. William F. Weeks, bishop-coadjutor of Shelburne, Vermont, and Philip Schuyler of Bennington, Vermont, conducted the funeral of 18-year-old Miss Bertha Bamford at Zion Episcopal Church, where her father was rector. Five days earlier, Miss Bamford had died of a hemorrhage following surgery to remove a tumor at Flower Hospital in New York City. Newspaper accounts noted the “profusion of beautiful flowers” and “the floral tributes.” The Manchester Village and Manchester Cenchester Center schools were closed so that teachers and students could participate.
   Miss Bamford was the classmate and first love of Bill W. Nearly all the students from Burr & Burton—about 70 altogether, including Bill—attended as a body and marched as such to the vault at Manchester Center in which Miss Bamford’s remains were temporarily placed. Prof. James Brooks, Prof. Walter Shaw, Bill W., Clifford Wilson, Roger Perkins and John Jackson were pallbearers. Miss Bamford’s remains would later be taken to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where they would be buried.

In 1928, Bill W. wrote a second pledge in the family Bible: “Thanksgiving Day 1928. My strength is renewed a thousandfold in my love for you.” There would be four such pledges before Bill stopped making them.

November 21 in A.A. History

In 1939, four men held the first A.A. meeting on the North American West Coast in Ray W.’s room at the Clift Hotel on Geary St. in San Francisco, California. Here’s how it came about.
    In April, Morgan R.—A.A. member, former ad man, asylum patient, and friend of the host—was a guest on Gabriel Heatter’s nationally broadcast radio show “We the People.” Morgan very briefly told his story, and closed by mentioning the newly pub
lished book, Alcoholics Anonymous. One non-alcoholic listener, Mrs. Gordon Oram, ran a boarding house at 51 Potomac St. in San Francisco. She liked one boarder, Ted C., but was concerned about his drinking, which had gotten him into multiple state hospitals and jails. He considered himself one of the “worst alcoholics” in the state. Mrs. Oram wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City and obtained a copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, for Ted.
    Others in the Bay Area had also heard the program, or had read Morris Markey’s article, “Alcoholics and God,” in the Sep 30th issue of Liberty magazine; they too had contacted the Alcoholic Foundation office. So when New York A.A. member Ray W. came to San Francisco for sales training in November, he brought a list of all who had inquired. From his room in the Clift Hotel, Ray called each and arranged a meeting in his room.
   Besides Ray and Ted, Don B. and Dave L. also attended. The meeting lasted two hours. Ray gave his list of local contacts to the three men, and all four begin to contact them. They were from Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda, as well as San Francisco. Unfortunately, Ted would be unable to stay sober.
   Bill W. vividly described the historic meeting and its immediate aftermath in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age (p. 88).

Ray had been an atheist and he still stuck to it.... He said, “Now, boys, this A.A. is great stuff. It really saved my life. But there’s one feature of it I don't like. I mean this God business. So when you read this book [the Big Book], you can skip that part of it.” Ten days later, Ray was on his way back East, leaving a shivering and divided group in his wake.
   But they soon found… Dr. Percy Poliak, a psychiatrist who had been impressed with A.A. as he had seen it at work in Bellvue Hospital in New York. No at the San Francisco County Hospital, Dr. Poliak gave the group his full support.… Mrs. Oram… opened her flat for the first [sic] A.A. meeting late in 1939…

In 1942, the Lakewood Group (near Cleveland, Ohio) celebrated its 3rd anniversary at Townsend Hall in Lakewood. The Dec 1942 Central Bulletin reported, “A pot-luck supper was served and cards and games followed. A large crowd enjoyed the festivities.”

In 1952, Rev. Willard S. Richardson, 86, died. He was A.A.'s initial connection to the Rockefeller Foundation in October 1937. Affectionately known as “Uncle Dick,” he was the Alcoholic Foundation treasurer and later, the Chairman of the Board. 

 November 20 in A.A. History

In 1923, Bill W. left Brooklyn Law School for good. He was in the process of repeating a class he had failed earlier in the year, which prevented him from graduating as expected in June. Contrary to what his wife would later write in her memoir, Lois Remembers, he never completed the requirements for a law degree.

In 1939, in Cleveland, Ohio, the Orchard Group split from the newly formed Borton Group. They met at 15909 Detroit Ave, which today is an automobile sales lot. There were eleven original members, and its prime movers were William B., Warren C., William L., and Edward H. The group’s secretary was Elvira B., William B.’s wife. The group would later rename itself the Lakewood Group.

In 1941, The Fresno (California) Bee published a 3-page article titled “Alcoholics Plead for Aid in Correcting Drink Problems.” It reported on reader response to the formation of Fresno’s first A.A. group, which had been reported the previous week. The article noted

… a welcome response from twenty-eight persons seeking aid in solving their excessive drinking problems. Some of the messages were from wives and mothers asking for help for husbands and wives.… Membership in the local chapter has increased from three to fifteen and plans have been outlined for the first meeting.… The meetings will be conducted following rules established in other chapters. Each member takes his turn as chairman and conducts the meeting as he sees fit.… Alcoholics Anonymous is not a reform group. There is no religious affiliation and members are not concerned with prohibition.… One of the letters to the chapter requested women be included in the membership. This is being considered by the members and it is expected arrangements will be made for feminine affiliation in the near future. Plans will be made for dances and card parties.

November 19 in A.A. History

In 1840, the Washingtonians held their first public meeting. The movement would grow rapidly. Widespread and enthusiastic support came from thousands of existing temperance societies, as the Washingtonians would have great success in mobilizing public attention for temperance through their “experience sharing” of alcoholic debauchery followed by glorious accounts of personal reformation. One of the movement’s leaders remarked,

There is a prevalent impression, that none but reformed drunkards are admitted as members of the Washingtonian Society. This is a mistake. Any man may become a member by signing the pledge, and continue so by adhering to it.

In 1912, Bill W. hurried into chapel and took his seat with the other students. Nothing could have prepared him for what was to come. He later recalled,

The principal of the school came in and announced with a very grave face that Bertha, the minister’s daughter and my beloved, had died suddenly and unexpectedly the night before. It was simply a cataclysm of such anguish as I’ve since had but two or three times. It eventuated in what was called an old-fashioned nervous breakdown, which meant, I now realize, a tremendous depression.

In 1935, Ebby T. came to live with Bill and Lois W. at 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn.

In 1939, Cleveland’s first Spanish-speaking meeting, Serenidad, is founded (three days after the Borton Group, the longest continually meeting group in Cleveland and the first group anywhere with no Oxford Group affiliation).

In 1941, The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) published “New Way Out for Hopeless Drinkers” by Edith Johnson. It began,

Because they known just how it feels to be befogged and sick and thoroughly miserable through days or weeks or months of intoxication Alcoholics Anonymous are having success in helping others to discard the drink habit that is no less than startling.

November 18 in A.A. History

In 1912, Bill W.’s schoolmate and first love, Bertha Bamford, 18, daughter of Julia Howard Read and Rev. Walter H. Bamford, the rector of Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester, Vermont, died of a hemorrhage following surgery to remove a tumor at Flower Hospital in New York City.

In 1946, the first ever meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in Ireland, and indeed in Europe, was held in the home of one of the S. brothers in Rathmines, a suburb of Dublin. Seven members likely attended this meeting: Conor F., Richard P., Jimmy R., Jimmy the Teacher, brothers Matt S. and Leo S., and another man.
    Conor F. had immigrated to the U.S. from County Roscommon, Ireland, and had gotten sober in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his wife were on vacation in Ireland. She read an Evening Mail interview with Father Tom Dunlea also vacationing, from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In addition to reporting on his “Boys Town Home” project, he spoke at length about about the success of the Sydney A.A. group with which he was involved. This interview introduced A.A. to the general public in Ireland. Conor’s wife suggested that he try to get A.A. started in Ireland.
    While they were in Derry, he tried to get people interested, but was told that there were no alcoholics in the north and that he should try the south. In the south he was told that problem drinkers there should join the Pioneers (Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart, an international association of Catholic teetotalers). He also gave an interview to the Evening Mail, along with a box number for the paper to give to anyone interested in contacting him. He received a letter from a man asking that his brother be contacted. The brother was contacted but said “He’s the one you should talk to.”
    Conor was about to accept defeat when he met Eva Jennings, who was staying at his hotel, the Abbotsford Hotel on Harcourt Street in Dublin. They met for breakfast and he confided in her the difficulties he was having in getting A.A. started in Dublin. She was sympathetic and advised him to meet with Dr. Norman Moore, head of St. Patrick’s [psychiatric] Hospital, where a close relative of hers was under his care. Conor met with Dr. Moore, 0who had read about A.A. in Readers Digest, and gave him a copy of Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book). Dr. Moore said of one of his 0patients, Richard P., “whom he feared he might be saddled with for life,” that “if you [Conor] can help this man, I’ll believe in A.A. 100 0percent!” 0Dr. Moore introduced Conor to Richard, who showed interest and was then escorted to Conor’s hotel. The two men ‘clicked’, and Richard was discharged from the hospital.
    Together the two men arranged the first closed meeting in Dublin. Brothers Matt and Leo S., who had considered each other alcoholics but not themselves, both joined, and ironically, the first public meeting of A.A. was held in one of their homes.

November 17 in A.A. History

In 1943, the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation, Inc. was held. Originally incorporated as a trust, it was reorganized as a membership corporation and the number of trustees was increased from seven to nine.

In 1947, with the help of A.A. members Harry B. knew in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, the Idaho Falls (Idaho) group helped organize the first meeting in Pocatello, Idaho. Founded by Harry six months earlier, Idaho Falls Group #1 had grown to 38 members.

In 1948, Bill and Lois W. made a return visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin [left], primarily to see Dr. Gilbert “Gib” K., who was near death from cancer. Gib urged Bill to accept his violin as a gift, which Bill did; he cherished it for the rest of his life. With only a few hours’ notice, local A.A. members organized an evening open meeting. Over 500 people showed up. Bill also visited Group 7, where no one recognized him. 
    Lois was taken to the alcoholism ward at St. Michael’s Hospital to visit a female patient. Lois talked with the girl for a while and then started to leave. As she was leaving, Lois turned and took a small corsage from her suit jacket and pinned it to the girl’s nightgown. She said, “You know my dear, it’s as easy to kick yourself up as it is to keep kicking yourself down.” 
    They stayed with George S., who had started a second A.A. meeting in Milwaukee. He wanted Bill W.’s advice on whether or not to go into the alcoholism field full time, since he was already very involved as a volunteer. Bill waited until the morning of his departure to answer. Over breakfast Bill said

George, I don’t think there is much of a choice. Someone must begin to spearhead the dreams we have of working with the public to make the lot of the alcoholic a better one.

George made his choice and became a towering figure in the field. He would continue his A.A. activities, including serving as Area 75’s first Delegate on Panel 1 of the General Service Conference (1951–52).

November 16 in A.A. History

In 1939, The first meeting of the Borton Group—the longest continuously meeting group in Cleveland, Ohio and the first group ever to be unaffiliated with the Oxford Group—was held at 2427 Roxboro Rd. [right, Sep 2009] in Cleveland Heights, the home of a well-known non-alcoholic financier, Thomas E. Borton. A.A. had sobered up one of his alcoholic employees, and he was so grateful that he offered his home for meetings. Clarence S. started the Borton Group after being kicked out of the original Cleveland Group—which he also started—after only six months for secretly inviting Elrick B. Davis, a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, to meetings and for the explosion of local interest in A.A. that followed the publication of Davis’ articles about A.A in the Plain Dealer. Warren C. [A.A. #12] later recalled that the original Cleveland Group, which met at the home of Albert “Abby” G.,

   … was a mixture of Oxford Group plus those who came in new like myself. That was the first group where the Oxford Group people and the A.A.’s [sic] weren't mixed.
   … there were probably half a dozen Akron people who came up to Cleveland—Doc S—– [Dr. Bob], the S—– boys [Paul and Dick], Bill D. [A.A. #3], and so forth. Not every week, but once in a while. We sort of supported each other in the beginning.

Also in 1939, Lois W. wrote in her diary:

Drove to Cleveland [Ohio] for meeting. Tremendous gathering. Clarence [S.], Jack [perhaps Jack D. of New York, one of Bill’s pigeons], and Bill [W.] spoke. Then, Bill and I dashed to a second meeting. Met Mr. Lupton, Unitarian minister who is to give sermon on Nov. 26, and Elrick Davis, who wrote [the Cleveland] Plain Dealer articles.

Whatever Bill W.’s feelings about the Cleveland split, he played no favorites; he went to both meetings.

In 1949, Father Ed Dowling [left] came to the 24th St. Clubhouse in New York City to meet Bill W. for the first time.

 In 1950, Serenely remarking to his attendant, “I think this is it,” Dr. Robert H. S., 70, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, died at noon in City Hospital in Akron, Ohio. He was cremated in Cleveland, Ohio and his remains were interred in Akron’s MountPeace Cemetery next to those of his wife Anne. Rev. Walter Tunks officiated. During his 15 years of sobriety, Dr. Bob treated more than 5,000 alcoholics, never accepting a fee for his professional services. Several hundred of them ended up in A.A. In his eulogy, Bill W. described Dr. Bob as “the prince of the Twelfth Steppers.”

November 15 in A.A. History

In 1952, a memorial service for Dr. Bob S. was held at the 24th Street Clubhouse in New York City. A recording of his last talk was played and a portrait of him was unveiled. Bill W. then addressed the gathering, beginning by saying

    Dr. Bob’s recorded voice has come down to us across the air since he died in 1950. Some may say that his actual voice is still forever, but you and I know that is not so and that his spirit will be with us so long as this well loved society of ours endures. Now, I happen to be one who believes that people never die, that on beyond death there is another life and it could be that Dr. Bob is looking down upon us now, seeing us, hearing what we say and feel and think and have done in this meeting. I know his heart will be glad.

    Dr. Bob was a chap who was modestly and singularly against taking any personal acclaim or honor but surely now that he is no longer with us he can’t mind, I don’t believe and for him I wish to thank everyone here who has made this occasion possible and the unveiling possible, with all the work and love that that has entailed. Again, I wish to thank each and everyone.

In 1960, Bill W. wrote Howard C. about A.A. rejecting the Oxford Group because of the emphasis on Absolutes

    … As you so well understand, we drunks are all-or-nothing people.

    In the old days of the Oxford Groups [sic], they were forever talking about the Four Absolutes—Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love. There we saw people going broke on this sort of perfection—trying to get too good by Thursday.

    … There is another factor, too, which perhaps you have overlooked.

    Absolutes in themselves are not necessarily destructive. Every sound theological system contains them. When we say that our destiny is to grow in the likeness and image of God, we are stating a healthy relation between a relative and an absolute state of affairs. Therefore when writing the Twelve Steps, it was necessary to include some sort of absolute value or else they wouldn’t have been theologically sound.…The could have been unfortunate. However, we couldn’t make them as promising and as misleading as we found them in the Oxford Group emphasis. So in Step Six and Seven, and in the use of the word God, we did include them.

In 1967, with the approval of the General Service Board, Bill W. sent a letter proposing a “World Service Meeting” to representatives of 13 countries/zones:

    Australia        Belgium              Central America    Finland   France     
    Germany        Holland               Mexico                  Norway   New Zealand
    South Africa   South America   United Kingdom
This letter said, in part

    … I am proposing that A.A. take first steps toward forming a world service conference. The time will come when our overseas population may well exceed that of the United States and Canada.…

    There are many problems of growth and relations that call for an international exchange of experiences. The problems of public relations, of anonymity, of self-support, of relations with medicine and religion—these are all keenly felt in many A.A. countries. The problem of printing and distributing literature is another one that can best be solved by exchange of experiences and policies.

    … I propose a World Service Meeting—not a conference, since it would not be fully representative of world A.A. This meeting could be held in New York so that delegates would have access to the experience of staff members and board members, and delegates would have the opportunity of seeing a 30-year-old service office at work.…

November 14 in A.A. History

In 1939, New York City A.A. members, their spouses—more than 50 in all, including Jimmy B., Bert T., Morgan R., and Tom B.—and at least one non-alcoholic Trustee, Leonard Harrison, sign a letter to Bill W. The letter said, in part

We all know that, like the rest of us, you are confronted with the necessity of making a living… We feel that we owe a debt to you which can be measured only in terms of life itself and therefore, perhaps, it is hardly appropriate that we should ask that you to continue to make the sacrifices which you have in the past for the benefit of ourselves and others yet unknown. Yet we ask you, if you find it possible to do so, to continue for a time with the work of Alcoholics Anonymous. We feel that the loss of your guidance at this most critical period in the development of the movement would be nothing less than a major catastrophe. On our own part, we pledge ourselves to do whatever we can in every way to help you carry the load.

In 1940, the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City mailed the first issue
the A.A. Bulletin to groups. Its purpose was to inform groups of important events. It evolved over the years and underwent several name changes. Today it is known as Box 4-5-9.

In 1943, in Los Angeles, California, at an open meeting at a Veterans Administration theater, Bill W. told 600 attendees how A.A. had enabled 10,000 alcoholics to recover. To the left is the Los Angeles Times article about this event.

In 1945, Bill W. wrote to Rev. Sam D., co-founder of A.A. in Atlanta, to enlist his help in stopping Carl K. from misrepresenting A.A. and causing controversy. Carl was the editor of his own magazine, The Empty Jug, for which Sam wrote a column, “Sam Talks Sense.” Bill complimented Sam’s column, but said that it was “completely surrounded by a whole page of hate,” and that Carl had had a “50 round bout with the demons of the liquor industry.” Bill stressed the need to avoid the subjects of “politics, religion and reform.”

Supporting A.A. in Ukraine

[Note that this post was written in March 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion of the Ukraine by the Russian Federation.]

An A.A. friend sent me a very well-done flyer for an online A.A. meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. It's shown to the left, but I've removed the Meeting ID and Passcode; I don't want to make it that  easy to attend. When I first saw it, I thought, "I only wish that we could do something similar for all the Russian alcoholics, who must also be terribly distressed at this time" (especially those in the Russian military).

This flyer was immediately followed by a less well-done message, shown below, purporting to be from "Ukrainian AA Service Center and the Ukrainian AA Service Board" to "the AA World Community." I was skeptical. This looked so much like a myth that I expected to find it debunked at Snopes ("the internet’s definitive fact-checking resource"). I did not. But I did find an article titled, "UKRAINE: New Crisis, Grimly Familiar Disinformation Trends", which said, in part, 

It is a grim measure of the frequency of crisis events in recent years, and the ubiquity of online disinformation, that when a major story breaks — a terrorist attack, a mass shooting, or an act of war — the writers and editors at Snopes can typically predict what comes next. Recycled videos and photographs, stripped from their proper context, and the same old tropes, all designed to inflame or confuse, or even amuse, the reader.

This is followed by a "grim overview of the familiar disinformation trends and recurring memes… in the opening days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."

But, as I said, I only later looked on Snopes. First I searched the Internet. To my surprise, I immediately got a hit that looked very promising. It was on the aa.lviv.ua website and looked like this:

Since I don't know what I presumed was Ukrainian, and not having much patience, I immediately had the page automatically translated into English. It is indeed Ukrainian, and here's the English translation I got:

It was only later that I noticed that an English translation of the message follows the Ukrainian on the original, one click further down. I felt stupid and impatient for not looking.

Ultimately, I decided I'd check into the Kyiv online meeting and see if there was some way I could be helpful. I tried to log in a few minutes before it was to start. Due to the meeting having reached capacity, it was impossible to get in. It then occurred to me, If I'm having this much trouble getting in, there are probably Ukrainians who are also unable to get in. It horrified me to think that I could have had a part in disrupting their meeting. If, by some miracle, I had been able to get in, I sure hope I would have realized that the meeting was at capacity and left. But even if I had, my spot would have been filled by a non-Ukrainian.

I tried joining after the meeting was over. It was bedlam. It appeared that most people were unmuted and there were multiple conversations going on at the same time. I saw one man, who appeared to be that single Ukrainian member. He appeared to be quite stressed out. I also saw some A.A.friends of mine, which was disappointing. I only stayed a minute. The last thing they needed at that point was yet one more non-Ukrainian A.A. to join the fray.

Tonight, I learned from a reliable source that only one of the seven or eight regular Ukrainian group members was able to get into the meeting (presumably, the Zoom host). No doubt, many of the attendees had good intentions, although I'm also pretty sure some did not. Clearly, many also didn't think through the consequences of their actions.

And then, very late last night, My friend said that another friend of hers had found a Facebook post about the A.A. meeting in Kyiv earlier, shown at the left. It was so disheartening to read. Yes, many non-Ukrainians—maybe hundreds of them—got to feel good for a minute. Meanwhile, seven or eight locals never got to their meeting.

God As We Understand Him?

 I recently read Bill W.'s essay, “God As We Understand Him: The Dilemma of No Faith”, in The Language of the Heart (originally published as “The Dilemma of No Faith” in the April 1961 issue of the A.A. Grapevine). He begins this essay by saying, “The phrase ‛God As We Understand Him’ is perhaps the most important expression to be found in our whole AA vocabulary.”

For a long time, I've been vaguely uncomfortable with this wording, even though I knew what it meant the first time I heard it. In the last few years, but not in my early sobriety, I've sometimes heard newcomers asking about this expression, “How can anyone understand God?”  in a way that led me to think that perhaps this was an impediment for them. I realized my discomfort is just that. Perhaps understanding is not the best word. I think “God As We Conceive of God” is closer to the intended meaning. It will be interesting to see how the proposed plain language Big Book^* (i.e., Alcoholics Anonymous) will deal with this phrase. If at all.

---

^* If you don't know what this is or what it means, check out Advisory Action #28 (on p 7) in this document: Conference Advisory Actions of the 71st General Service Conference, a list of all such actions adopted at the 71st General Service Conference last April.

19,560 days

Yes, I am still sober, still above ground. My posts slowed down drastically and then stopped altogether because I feared it would become too easy to identify who I was from my posts, due to circumstances of my life. Already, my brother had figured out this was me. For those who don't realize it, I was doing my best to respect Tradition 12. My brother already knew I was a deeply involved member of A.A.

Future posts will probably be less personal, on the whole. I hope this is, at least in part, because I have less interest in myself and more interest in others [v. Alcoholics Anonymous, p 84].

A.A. in these times of pandemic has been a great experience for me personally. Since mid-March 2020, I've attended online meetings on every continent that has them (Antarctica does not, due to insufficient bandwidth). I've been regularly attending meetings all over the US and Canada, as well as in Australia and South Africa. It has also become much easier to find workshops, conventions, conferences, and meetings that focus on topics like Traditions, Concepts, The A.A. Service Manual, and A.A. history. These are topics that I love learning about. I've been sober almost 29 years, been involved in General Service for 25½ of those years, but I sometimes think I've learned more about General Service in the last 16 months than in all the time before. Maybe not. Maybe it just feels that way.

Eighteen years

Still here, still sober, even if I'm not posting. Yesterday I celebrated 18 years of continuous sobriety.

Seventeen years

Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of my first A.A. meeting, which marked the beginning of my current spell of continuous sobriety. I can't say I celebrated, because I was too busy doing things that are little more than the blessings of a sober life:

• Took my car in to have the oil changed and the engine light checked—I not only have a driver's license, I also have a car
• Worked—I am employable today
• Chaired a meeting of the local chapter of a professional organization—not only employed, but on the Board of Directors and also Program Chair
• Attended a funeral

The funeral, ironically enough, was for Bumblebee, someone I sponsored for a while. I suspect I was his last sponsor. I hadn't seem him in at least a year, and sometimes wondered if he named me when asked if he had a sponsor. Then I would wonder if he was even making meetings.

Apparently not. He was definitely out there. He committed suicide by stabbing himself to death in the parking lot of the apartment complex where he lived. In the femoral artery. Thank you, Bumblebee, for keeping it green for me on my anniversary.

Tonight I will celebrate with dinner and a meeting! Praise HP, from whom all blessings flow!

Is A.A. a religion?

On 17 March 2009, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued an opinion in an appeal of the case of Glenside Center, Inc. [a clubhouse hosting meetings of various twelve-step programs] v. Abington Township. A lower court had found that the Glenside Center violated local zoning laws, after the Township received numerous complaints regarding an "adverse parking situation" that "made driving difficult and dangerous and prevented emergency traffic from getting through." There were also complaints about "urinating in public, using obscene language and trash which had been left by members attending meetings." Excessive noise and loitering are also mentioned in the opinion. (Clearly demonstrating the danger of these kinds of totally inappropriate, inconsiderate and non-sober behavior at any A.A. meeting.)

The appeal was on the basis of four issues, namely that the Zoning Board:

1. had incorrectly found that the use of the building did not meet the requirement of being primarily used as an "office,"
2. had denied the clubhouse its rights under RLUIPA¹,
3. had violated the clubhouse's right to free exercise of religion by determining that the clubhouse was a "Community Center," and
   
4. had failed to prove a compelling governmental interest and had failed to use the least restrictive means to further that interest.
   

My interest is only in the 2^nd and 3^rd issues insofar as they relate to whether or not A.A. can legally be considered a religion. In its opinion, the Court essentially determined that Alcoholics Anonymous is not a religion:

Glenside argues... it is a protected entity under RLUIPA because its activities are a religious exercise.... Glenside argues that AA is not a religion, but its activities and programs constitute a free exercise of religion under RLUIPA. It contends that the 12-step program that AA follows is certainly based upon a belief in a higher power, and various AA members testified that they found a connection with God by attending AA meetings. Glenside directs our attention to a New York Court of Appeals case, Griffin v. Coughlin,... which held that an AA meeting constituted an exercise of religion.

The Board, however, argues and we agree that Glenside presents no binding authority for its proposition that an AA meeting is a religious exercise as that term is used in RLUIPA.² Glenside failed to prove that any of the meetings are administered by a religious leader, i.e., a minister, priest, rabbi or other spiritual leader. Glenside does not hold any religious services or have any religious affiliations. Its Articles of Incorporation state nothing about being incorporated for a religious purpose, but only to assist people in recovering from addiction. Similarly, Glenside’s printed materials state that Glenside is not a religious organization and do not require that members possess any religious belief to participate. While Glenside argues that members have found a connection with God at its meetings, clearly, the primary purpose of the group meetings, whether they be for AA, NA or DA, is to support individuals who are recovering from alcohol, drug, gambling and debtor addictions, not to advance religion. Particularly where AA and NA meetings are concerned, the primary concern of those meetings is to treat substance abuse. Moreover, Glenside and others on its behalf testified that members come from all religious walks of life whether they be Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or non-believers in a higher power. The fact that the 12-step program is used and it contains references to “God” and a “Higher Power” does not mean that all members believe that they are partaking in a religious experience when they are attending an AA or NA meeting.

Good for the Court, bad for Glenside Center, Inc. Bad, not because they lost their appeal, but for (1) encouraging the courts to consider A.A. a religion, (2) giving the appearance of violating A.A. tradition of having no opinion on outside issues, and (3) for providing a forum for a number of members of A.A. to violate A.A.'s tradition of anonymity at the level of press, radio and film (not to mention on television and on the Internet).

Glenside Center is not in any sense A.A. or part of A.A. It is a separately organized enterprise with the [presumable] purpose of providing meeting space for various twelve-step organizations. From the point of view of A.A. groups, it is in no respect different from a church, municipal building or community center providing space for meetings—all these entities are nothing more than landlords.

However, I suspect that all the principals of the Glenside Center are members of A.A. As stated in the opinion, many of those who testified on behalf of the Glenside Center are also members of A.A. One was identified by full name as a member of A.A. for 53 years (you'd think he'd know better after that long). The Center's argument included the following:

While AA or its related organizations do not claim to be an established religion, the constituent groups can and have been viewed as engaging in an exercise of religion. The Act broadly defines religious exercise to include "any exercise of religion, whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious beliefs."

I became aware of this ruling when a friend in A.A. sent me a link to an entry about it in a Washington Post blog named "Under God." In it, David Waters argues that the Court made a mistake on the basis of four objections. After each objection, I'll give my objections to Mr Waters' objections.

Objection 1: Any person of faith can be a spiritual leader.

Actually, I would go even further than Mr Waters. Lack of "a religious leader, i.e., a minister, priest, rabbi or other spiritual leader" should not preclude a gathering from being religious. A prime example would be an unprogrammed meeting for worship of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers.

Objection 2: Assisting people in recovering from any addiction is a religious (and spiritual) purpose.

Accepting this argument would make every rehab and detox in the U.S. a religious organization. It would also make seeing any health-care practitioner for help with an addiction into a religious activity.

Objection 3: Any group that advances the healing of bodies and souls (and the forgiveness of debts and debtors) also advances religion.

By this argument, entering into any course of psychiatric or psychological therapy, participating in any of numerous self-help organizations or classes, going to see the doctor, going to the gym to work out, or seeking credit counseling would be considered a religious activity. This is patently absurd.

Objection 4: Clearly the court is unaware of the history and purpose of AA.

Clearly Mr Waters is not fully aware of the history and purpose of A.A. Let me address each of the facts he cites in support of his objection.

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded as a spiritual program, direct outgrowth of the Oxford Group at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York.

True. But it's also true that the Oxford Group (known since 2001 as Initiatives of Change) considered itself non-religious. Furthermore A.A. separated from the Oxford Group at least in part due to the latter's belief that alcoholism was a sin rather than a disease, and to sever what might appear as ties to a Christian organization.

AA meetings include recitations of The Lord's Prayer and the Serenity Prayer.

Actually, this seems to me to be a reasonably good argument. It's one reason I do not participate in saying the Lord's Prayer at meetings. Not all meetings use the Lord's Prayer, though I'd have to say that most in the U.S.³ do. As for the Serenity Prayer, so far as I know, it is not perceived to be associated with Christianity, despite its purported author being a Christian theologian. As insightful as it may be to us drunks, the idea would seem to be quite universal in thought and application among those who consider and practice such things. Indeed, the essential idea can be found in a Mother Goose rhyme:

For every ailment under the sun

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there be one, try to find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

Back to Mr Waters' argument:

"AA indirectly derived much of its inspiration from the Church," Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Church, said in 1955.

Key word: indirectly. I'd say that a huge number of institutions of Western civilization were indirectly derived from Christianity, not the least of which is the United States of America. Furthermore, citing a single person—a non-A.A. member at that—saying this in a single speech is not much of an argument. Bill W., co-founder of A.A. and a much better source to cite, said of the phrase God as we understood him that it was "tremendously important," "a ten-strike," enabling "thousands to join AA who would have otherwise gone away," opening the door to "those of fine religious training and those of none at all," making "one’s religion the business of the AA member himself and not that of his society."⁴

AA's Twelve Traditions includes No. 2: "For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority -- a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." Seven of AA's famous Twelve Steps reference God, including:

• 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
• 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
• 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
• 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Newcomers to A.A. are commonly encourage to find a power greater than themselves even if that power is nothing more than a doorknob or an ashtray. Many A.A. members attain long-term sobriety using A.A. itself as a higher power (God is sometimes identified as an acronym, standing for "Group of Drunks"). Even casual acquaintance with A.A.'s program makes it clear that this higher power can be of whatever conception one so chooses. See also the quote of Bill W.'s referred to above.

"Would that the Church were like this," Shoemaker said in 1955, "ordinary men and women with great need who have found a great Answer, and do not hesitate to make it known wherever they can - a trained army of enthusiastic, humble, human workers whose efforts make life a different thing for other people!"

Is Mr Waters saying that a non-religious group of people cannot exhibit these same characteristics? I suspect that any number of political activists would be happy with such a description.

If a group that meets under spiritual precepts, performs rituals, and seeks to heal its members isn't religious, what else is it?

Rituals? To what rituals does Mr Waters refer? He hasn't mentioned any up to this point in the article and doesn't mention any after this either. And without rituals, all that's left is a group that uses spiritual precepts and seeks to heal its members. In at least one sense of the word spiritual, a vast number of groups satisfy this description.

Indeed, much of the argument comes down to whether or not there is a difference between spirituality and religion, and what that difference might be. From the American Heritage Dictionary:

spir·i·tu·al
ADJECTIVE:1. Of, relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material. See synonyms at immaterial. 2. Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul. 3. Of, from, or relating to God; deific. 4. Of or belonging to a church or religion; sacred. 5. Relating to or having the nature of spirits or a spirit; supernatural.

As will be clear to anyone who is familiar with A.A. and its program of recovery, A.A. itself would not accept any definition other than one with the broadest possible meaning. The meaning of A.A. being a spiritual program could be that it is religious to the member who is herself religious. That meaning could be only that it is intangible or immaterial to the member who is himself not religious. A.A. itself doesn't care. A.A. is areligious.

---

¹Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act—a federal statute passed in 2000 to provide stronger protection for religious freedom in the land-use and prison contexts.

²The opinion footnotes this sentence with the following:

RLUIPA defines “Religious exercise” as follows:

(A) In general. The term “religious exercise” includes any exercise of religion, whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief.

(B) Rule. The use, building, or conversion of real property for the purpose of religious exercise shall be considered to be religious exercise of the person or entity that uses or intends to use the property for that purpose.

³I know from personal experience that the Lord's Prayer is rarely used in Australia, and that because of this Australian members of A.A. pride themselves on being more consistent with A.A. principles than A.A. in the U.S. is.

⁴Full quote, from A Conversation with Bill W., A Synopsis of the Question-Answer Period following Bill W.'s talk at the NCCA Syposium in New York in 1960:

When these Steps were shown to my friends, their reactions were mixed indeed. Some argued that six steps had worked fine, so why twelve? From our agnostic contingent there were loud cries of too much “God.” Others objected to an expression which I had included which suggested getting on one’s knees while in prayer. I heavily resisted these objections for months. But I finally did my statement about a suitable prayerful posture and finally went along with that now tremendously important expression, “God as we understand Him” — this expression having been coined, I think, by one of our former atheist members. This was indeed a ten-strike. That one has since enabled thousands to join AA who would have otherwise gone away. It enabled people of fine religious training and those of none at all to associate freely and to work together. It made one’s religion the business of the AA member himself and not that of his society.

Still above ground and sober

For anyone who's wondering, I'm doing okay. I got elected to another Area office and expect to continue in General Service for another two years. Nimue is divorcing me after nearly three years of separation. Despite that, I feel as good as I have in a long time. Despite some heavy bouts of depression over the last nine months, I recently thought to myself, "Ah, so this is what it feels like not to be depressed! I had forgotten."

Despite the fact that I haven't posted for over nine months, every now and then, someone adds a comment to an old post. This, if nothing else, sporadically reminds me that I'd like to taking up at least semi-regular posting again. Absolutely no promises, we'll see.

Today's reflection

The entry for March 4th in Daily Reflections has long been among my favorites:

The essence of all growth is a willingness to make a change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 115

By the time I had reached Step Three I had been freed of my dependence on alcohol, but bitter experience has shown me that continuous sobriety requires continuous effort. Every now and then I pause to take a good look at my progress. More and more of my garden is weeded each time I look, but each time I also find new weeds sprouting where I thought I had made my final pass with the blade. As I head back to get the newly sprouted weed (it’s easier when they are young), I take a moment to admire how lush the growing vegetables and flowers are, and my labors are rewarded. My sobriety grows and bears fruit.

The Bill W. quote inspires me, and the garden metaphor is beautiful and accurate. It describes where I am, where I have mostly been for quite some time.

I am a product of God's grace and mercy. Of his grace, because I got something I didn't deserve; of his mercy, because I didn't get what I did deserve.