November 12 in A.A. History

1918: Battery C, 66th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps (C.A.C.), Bill W.’s unit, returned to its station at La Courtine, possibly from the St. Mihiel sector in France [left, 5 Jan 1919]. The day before, at the time of the Armistice, its condition had been described as “about ready to go on the line.” i.e., almost ready to deploy to battle.

1940: Paddy K. held the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Jacoby Club, thereby establishing a connection between A.A. and the club.

The Jacoby Club had been founded by Ernest Jacoby [right, 1913] in 1909; it broke away from the Emmanuel Movement in 1913 and incorporated separately. Its motto was “A club for men to help themselves by helping others.” There were no membership dues, and the only requirement for membership was “an expressed desire to lead an honorable life and a willingness to aid other men less fortunate.” The club attracted many alcoholics; however, Paddy’s group did not last, and the first permanent A.A. group in Boston was formed in March 1941.

Bill W. later remarked of Paddy,

[He] could never get sober himself and finally died of alcoholism. He was just too sick to make it. Slip followed slip, but he came back each time to carry A.A.’s message, at which he was amazingly successful

1941: The Fresno (California) Bee published an article on page 15 titled “Alcoholics Anonymous Forms Local Unit” [left]. The article reported that three “well known” local men

to whom the liquor drinking habit has become a problem have announced the formation of the Fresno Chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, a nation wide organization established to aid alcoholics.

[A.A.]… is a volunteer non profit organization of former alcoholics who have banded together to help each other and to assist the ‘problem’ drinker in overcoming the liquor habit.

The article notes the publicity A.A. received in March from The Saturday Evening Post article, “The Drunkard’s Best Friend,” by Jack Alexander (without identifying the magazine, article, or author). It says that this small group is

… seeking additional members who have the guarantee that any contact with the group will remain a secret within the organization. To further protect any applicant for membership from notoriety the group has rented Box 101 in the Fresno Postoffice [sic] to which alcoholics desiring help or seeking to join… may write.…

Abiding by the rules of the national organization the local members stand ready to aid any alcoholic at any time of the day or night.

Confirmed drinkers have been invited to write a letter to the local group outlining their individual problems.

1958: Fred Coe [right], producer of the CBS Playhouse 90 teleplay “Days of Wine and Roses” (starring Cliff Robertson, Piper Laurie, and Bickford), wrote a short note to Leonard V. Harrison [left], Chairman of the Alcoholic Foundation Board:

A delayed but nonetheless abundant note of gratitude and sincere appreciation for the help and advice that your New York organization of Alcoholics Anonymous gave to our production of J. P. Miller’s story “The Days of Wine and Roses”—and a deep bow to Miss Eve Marsh [GSO staff and secretary of the 1958 General Service Conference], whose advice to the writer, director, and actors was so helpful.

"The Days of Wine and Roses" received the largest mail, telephone and telegram response of any program presented on PLAYHOUSE 90, and I feel that your association should certainly receive a large share of the praise.

November in A.A. History—day unknown

2005: The first Mongolian conference of the Eastern Region focused on the theme “From 2 Steps to 12 Steps.” The participants began to realize “we had to work with 12 steps,” a practice that was not widely adopted. Additionally, they were not adhering to the Twelve Traditions [left: Нэргүй архичид, Mongolian for “Alcoholics Anonymous”; right: Mongolian A.A. logo superimposed over the Mongolian flag].

November 11 in A.A. History

1918: World War I (then known as the Great War) officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (Central European Time). Known as Armistice Day—or Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth—the holiday was rededicated by the U.S. in 1954 to honor all veterans and renamed Veterans Day.

1932: Let’s Operate [left: cover] by Dr. Roy H. McKay [near left: photo; near right: obverse side of photo] and Norman Beasley was published. A review [below left] in the Journal of the American Medical Association said of the book:

It is simple, indeed, for any medical author to exploit the mistakes of his confrères and to exaggerate the evidence of unnecessary operations, fee splitting and other weaknesses that have on occasion been apparent in medical practice. This volume is apparently a journalistic tour de force. Dr. McKay got important newspaper publicity when he first emphasized these facts and was apparently induced by the publishers to expand his original remarks into a book. This review is written some months after the book was first published, and the indications seem to be that as a sensation the book fell somewhat flat.

McKay would be one of Bill W. and Dr. Bob S.’s early failures in June 1935, before they met Bill D.; thus McKay missed his chance to become A.A. #3. He would die before the end of 1936.

1934: The stock market was closed in observance of Armistice Day, but Lois had to work, so Bill W. decided to play golf on Staten Island, likely at Silver Lake Golf Course [right, opening, 20 Apr 1930]. He took the subway to Lower Manhattan, the ferry to Staten Island, and a bus [left: type of bus used on Staten Island beginning in 1934] south to the course. On the bus, Bill struck up a conversation with the man next to him, who was carrying a rifle. The man told Bill he was going target shooting at a range beyond the golf course. While they were talking, another bus collided with theirs; fortunately no one was hurt, but the passengers had to wait for a replacement bus.

Bill’s companion suggested they wait at a nearby bar. His companion ordered Scotch, while Bill ordered ginger ale. When asked why he wasn’t drinking, Bill launched into a detailed account of Silkworth’s theory of alcoholism and his own history with alcohol, declaring that he could never drink another drop again.

When the replacement bus arrived, they resumed their journey. The bus reached the golf course around noon, and Bill’s friend, who needed to change buses, proposed they stop for lunch at a nearby place. Bill ordered ginger ale with his sandwiches, while his friend again ordered Scotch.

Bill fell into a reverie about his first Armistice Day, celebrated in a small French town. Just then, the bartender offered each of them an Armistice Day Scotch, on the house. Bill immediately took his and downed it. His astonished friend exclaimed, “You must be crazy!” Bill assured him that he was. The friend went on to the shooting range while Bill continued to drink.

Somehow, Bill found his way to the golf course. However, he kept drinking and played so recklessly that he was kicked out. He came home at 5 a.m., so drunk that he fell into the entryway under the stairs and gashed his head. Lois, who had been up all night worrying, rushed downstairs when she heard the noise. Bill was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding profusely. As a result, Lois began looking for a sanitarium for Bill. This binge would last a month.

1939: Bill and Lois W. visited Clarence S. [right] in Cleveland, Ohio. This was probably the day of traveling to Cleveland that Lois would note in her diary five days later [see later entry for Nov 16].

1940: Alcoholics Anonymous arrived in Minnesota. Some months earlier, a drinking Pat C. [left] had gone into the Minneapolis library to stay warm. There he found the book Alcoholics Anonymous and, using his sister’s library card, took it home. He soon discovered there weren’t any A.A. groups in Minnesota, so he wrote a letter to the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City asking for help.

A month or so later, Chan F. from Chicago received a letter from Bill W.—typed by Ruth Hock—asking him to call on Pat if he was ever in Minneapolis. Chan and another A.A. member, Bill F., traveled to Minneapolis to attend a Minnesota Gopher football game.^* A friend of Pat’s named Alf was at that same game, drunk. As a sober Alf recalled it in 1996:

I can visualize Pat freezing in that little room on Skid row, shaking while eyeing the last inch of Old Grand Dad [sic] whiskey left in his bottle! Only an alcoholic can understand the desperation of that feeling.

On November 11th, the day Chan and Bill were due to leave, the Armistice Day Blizzard struck Minnesota [right: 12 Nov 1950 Minneapolis Star Journal; left: photo] and stopped all travel. With nothing else to do, they called around with no luck—until Pat C. answered. For the next two days, Pat and the two A.A. members talked about Alcoholics Anonymous. Pat listened, still skeptical that it would work for him, but eventually he understood the message and stayed sober from that point on. He went on to dedicate his life to expanding A.A., and today there are meetings every day in Minnesota.

---

^*On Saturday, November 9, 1940, the #2 Minnesota Golden Gophers hosted their perennial rivals, #3 Michigan Wolverines—both undefeated at the time—at a packed Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. It is considered one of the greatest and most consequential games in Minnesota football history. A record-breaking crowd of 63,894 fans attended, packed together in heavy overcoats, completely unaware that an unprecedented deadly blizzard would freeze the entire region on Monday. The game, often called the Mud Bowl, was played in torrential rain and heavy mud. The defining image of the game was Bruce Smith’s legendary 80-yard touchdown run, slithering past the defense to score. The subsequent extra point secured a thrilling 7-6 victory for Minnesota, who were named national champions at the end of the season [right: image; below: video of game-winning 80-yeard rush by the Gophers' Heisman Trophy winner, Roger Smith].

November 10 in A.A. History

1937: Willard S. Richardson [near right] wrote to Dr. Leonard V. Strong [far right]:

I have now had conferences with four men whose judgment as to the interesting story of Mr. [Bill] W—– I think is good. I assure you that even my repeating of the story was impressive to them, and they thought the matter very important. They were all inclined to agree with me that, if possible, any organization of this project and anything that tended to professionalize or institutionalize it would be a serious matter and quite undesirable. Some of them thought quite as highly of Mr. W—–’s experience as a religious one as they did of it as a liquor one.

The letter suggested an early lunch meeting for Bill W., Strong, and himself. This meeting would lead to an invitation from Richardson to convene in John D. Rockefeller’s private boardroom at Rockefeller Center, along with several close associates of Rockefeller. Representing the recovering alcoholics would be Dr. Strong, Dr. Silkworth, Bill W., Dr. Bob S., and a few other alcoholics from New York City and Akron, Ohio.

1939: Clarence S. [left] wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City, informing them that three A.A. groups would be established in Cleveland, Ohio, effective that week. He added,

I expect two more at least by the beginning of the year. Right now, we have about 60 A.A.’s, most of them active, and an additional 15 to 20 being worked on in various ways. By splitting into smaller groups, the numbers should increase quite rapidly in the next 30 to 60 days.

He had nothing to say about the uproar regarding newspaper reporters attending group meetings, or about his expulsion and the consequent need to start a new group. However, he did note that the Oxford Group was “hopping up and down, as they have been trying vainly to get publicity.”

2024: The American Journal of Medicine [right: cover] published an article titled “New Clinical and Public Health Challenges: Increasing Trends in United States Alcohol Related Mortality” online. The abstract stated, in part:

Background

In the United States (US) and worldwide alcohol is a major contributor to premature mortality and morbidity. We explored US trends in alcohol related mortality from 1999 to 2020 overall and by age, gender, race, and region.…
Results

In 1999, there were 19,356 alcohol-related deaths, a mortality rate of 10.7 per 100,000. By 2020, deaths increased to 48,870 or 21.6 per 100,000. Overall, the mortality rate ratio (MRR) was significantly increased about 2.0-fold. There were significant increases in all 10-year age groups with the largest 3.8-fold in those 25 to 34. Women experienced a 2.5-fold increase; Asians and Pacific Islanders had the largest increase of 2.4-fold; the Midwest showed the largest regional increase of 2.5-fold.
Conclusions

During the last 20 years there have significant increases of about 2-fold in US alcohol-related mortality. Clinical challenges are increased by interrelationships of risk factors, especially overweight and obesity and diabetes. Alcohol, overweight and obesity and diabetes all cause liver damage which may be additive and lead to earlier onset of alcohol related mortality. In addition health providers should also consider demographic shifts, and regional differences. Targeted interventions by health care providers may reduce this increasing US epidemic of alcohol related mortality. These data also generate many hypotheses testable in analytic studies designed a priori to do so.

In March 2025, this article would be re-published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

November in A.A. History—day unknown

1962: The designation of November as “Gratitude Month” was first mentioned in the A.A. Grapevine—on the cover [left] and in a “P.S. from the Editor,” quoted below. The context of the latter indicates that this designation was already familiar within the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

GRATITUDE MONTH puts your editor into a reflective frame of mind, and few topics are more deserving of contemplation than that extraordinary moment twenty-seven years ago when Alcoholics Anonymous was founded. On that day, with an invisible flash that has brightened a million lives, something miraculously new and healing came into the world.

November 9 in A.A. History

1944: Four months before his 58th birthday, James Hodges “Jim” R., co-founder of the first A.A. group in Baltimore, Maryland, died [near right: headstone; far right: obituary, Baltimore’s The Evening Sun] of a heart attack after playing handball at the Baltimore’s Central YMCA. He had gotten sober on 7 Jun 1933, more than 18 months before Bill W., and he never drank again.

2001: The General Service Office (GSO) sent a complimentary copy of the 4th edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous [left], to every registered group in the United States and Canada.

November in A.A. History—day unknown

1949: The shortened form of the Twelve Traditions was first printed in the A.A. Grapevine [left: cover]. Two changes in wording were made later: “primary spiritual aim” was changed to “primary purpose” in Tradition Six, and “principles above personalities” was changed to “principles before personalities” in Tradition Twelve.

The entire Grapevine issue was dedicated to the Traditions in anticipation of the 1st International Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in June 1950, where Bill W. would seek approval^* of these Traditions. In the same issue, in an article titled “A Suggestion for Thanksgiving,” Bill pointed readers to an article by Thomas “Tom” Y. [right: high school yearbook picture, 1921] , the immediate past editor of the Grapevine, titled “You Have a Stake in the Future of AA.” He suggested that Thanksgiving^† week be dedicated to discussing the Traditions and added, “If the groups respond positively to this idea, special material on the Traditions will be sent out from the General Service Office to all groups.”

The replies were overwhelmingly in favor. As a result, November became known as Traditions Month and later as Gratitude Month.

---

^*When Bill presented the Traditions for approval in Cleveland, he omitted Tradition 10. In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, on p. 102, Bill wrote Tradition 3 as “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a sincere desire to stop drinking” [emphasis added].

^†This reference pertains to the United States Thanksgiving holiday. Might it not have been better for a U.S./Canada general service structure to alternate between this and the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, on the second Monday in October?

1950: The Alcoholic Foundation in New York City published the pamphlet [right] titled “Your Third Legacy: Will You Accept It?” by Dr. Bob S. and Bill W. This pamphlet outlined the plans and procedures for the General Service Conference and included a “Temporary Conference Charter” with “Twelve Suggested Principles.” Below are edited excerpts from the pamphlet regarding elections.

The Alcoholic Foundation invited one Conference delegate from each state and Canadian province. Seven states with large AA populations were assigned additional delegates. Delegates were divided into two Panels so that half would be elected and half would rotate in odd- and even-numbered years. Panel 1 areas were asked to form a committee to organize an election assembly no later than March 1951. Bill W. traveled across the US, attending over two dozen assemblies where area committees and Conference Delegates were elected.

Each group could select a Group Representative to attend and vote at the assembly. Group Representatives later came to be called “General Service Representatives,” or GSRs. They placed an “A” next to their name in the assembly registration book to indicate they were “available to serve” as a Committeeman or Delegate. Nominations were not accepted from the floor, and elections were by written ballot.

The Area Delegate, Officers, and Committeemen were chosen by election, by lot, or a combination of both, for terms of two years, and took office in April following their election.

1. To begin, the assembly decided by simple majority the number of Committeemen to be elected. Committeemen later came to be called “Committee Members” and then “District Committee Members” (or DCMs). Elections were decided by plurality. The first three Committeemen elected from the pool of those “willing to serve” automatically became the Area Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, in that order. The newly elected Chair immediately presided over the remainder of the assembly. All new Committeemen and Officers were automatically in nomination for Delegate (unless they declined).
2. For the Delegate election, the assembly was asked if it was willing to make a single attempt to elect a Delegate by written ballot. If 2/3 agreed, a ballot was cast. If the assembly declined to vote for a Delegate by written ballot, or if the single attempted vote failed to produce a 2/3 majority, the election was decided by lot (“from the hat”). 
3. The Chair then opened the assembly for discussion. Questions on the General Service Conference, or instructions to be given to the Delegate, were brought to the floor. Initially, Delegates were both informed and instructed. The Chair closed the assembly after announcing the date and location where the Delegate would make a post-Conference report. The Secretary recorded the results and prepared a written report of the assembly proceedings.

November 8 in A.A. History

1944: The Scarborough (Ontario) General Hospital Service Meeting [left: Scarborough General Hospital, c. 1956] was started by Tony T., Duncan Donald M., Jack T., and Joe S., all of whom remained continuously sober until their deaths. Bill M. from the Unionville Group attended the first meeting and would participate until at least the group’s 25th anniversary. Tommy H., also from the Unionville Group, attended the inaugural meeting and would continue until his death in 1999. Betty, Tommy’s wife and a hospital employee, supported and facilitated the meeting, even arranging discounted parking for members. Roy St. C., a hospital patient, would attend the second meeting, and other patients would soon follow. Eventually, Murray D., who would die after 44 years of continuous sobriety, would become a regular attendee, arriving early to set up and make coffee.

Originally a discussion meeting, the format would evolve into one that lasted for over 25 years: three readings followed by a speaker sharing their experience, strength, and hope for 25 minutes, and concluding with a 15-minute question-and-answer period. This format would prove to be quite suitable for the hospital setting.

November in A.A. History—day unknown

1947: With the help of A.A. members known to Harry B. in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, the Idaho Falls group organized the first meeting in Pocatello, Idaho [right: Center St., Pocatello, 1940s]. Founded six months earlier by Harry, Idaho Falls Group #1 had grown to 38 members.

1947: As reported three months later in the February 1948 A.A. Grapevine, by a group member:

…a new group was formed in Anchorage, Alaska [left, 1945] …composed of former members from different groups in the States. We have had several newcomers already and have plans for club rooms in the near future.… This country certainly needs A.A. in the worst way. Anchorage has a population of about 15,000 and over 80 drink-dispensing establishments—14 in one block on the main street!

The July 1948 A.A. Grapevine would report:

Only two members of the Anchorage, Alaska, Group have lived in the territory for more than five years. The membership of the little group is therefore made up of moving A.A.s, many of them construction workers.

1948: Bill and Lois W. returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin [right: skyline c. 1940], primarily to visit Dr. Gilbert “Gib” King, who was nearing 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 [left: Bill, late in life, playing Gib’s violin at Stepping Stones] . With only a few hours’ notice, local A.A. members organized an evening open meeting that drew over 500 attendees. Bill also visited Group 7, where no one recognized him.

Lois [right, 1951] was taken to the alcoholism ward at St. Michael’s Hospital [left, 1946] to visit a female patient. After talking with the girl for a while, Lois began to leave. Just before exiting, she turned, 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.”

The W――s stayed with George S. at his home. George, who had started the second A.A. meeting in Milwaukee, sought Bill’s advice on whether to pursue a full-time career in the alcoholism field, as he was already heavily involved in A.A. as a volunteer. Bill chose to wait until the morning of his departure to respond. Over breakfast, he 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 prominent figure in the field. He continued his A.A. activities, including serving as Area 75’s first Delegate on Panel 1 of the General Service Conference from 1951 to 1952.

November 7 in A.A. History

1944: The Cleveland (Ohio) Central Committee held its monthly meeting with 37 members representing 23 of the 44 local groups, plus one from Toledo. “[A] restless and exciting atmosphere was quite noticeable,” said one attendee. Even after the call to order and the Serenity Prayer, as reports of old business were being read, the moderator had to call the body to order “again and again.” Still, there was “a murmur of persistent whispering.” When they reached the last report, that of the Hospital Committee,

… the impatience and restlessness… was [sic]… obvious. Not many seemed to know… the reason for the strange atmosphere… Rumors had… spread that a group of members, mostly old-timers, were… proposing the affiliation of… A.A.… to the Oxford Group. Others… had heard that this same group wanted to have a screening committee to approve applications of new members. There… [were] many different rumors about what was to be proposed. Two members were so incensed… that they… voice[d] the opinion that it would be… better not to allow the group of agitators or reformers to talk. It wasn’t easy for the moderator to maintain quietness and proceed. Finally the turn to new business began.

One member… requested to be heard on… [an item] of new business. The moderator consented and this member,… [said] that he was speaking not only for himself but also for… other members. He said some… were present and others were not; however,… their names were Charles D., Dr. F. F., Cliff B., Paul J., Elmer L., Abby G., Kay H., Clarence S., John D., Jack D., Clarence W. and a few others whose names… [have been lost]. All present had their eyes and undivided attention fixed on the man talking,… waiting for the bomb that was supposed to explode. [He]… went on to say that he, as well as… [those he represented], had driven to Akron for some time to attend meetings of the Oxford Group… before the actual birth of A.A.… [T]he purpose of their interest in the Oxford Group had been the same interest… [as] now… [in] A.A. Practically all of… [them] had journeyed… to Akron… to acquire… sobriety…. However,… many men and women here [are] in need of our A.A. program and… [he] and the… men he represented [thought] that the Central Committee… [consider] the establishment of a Central A.A. Office similar to that already functioning in Chicago.

Even before he… [was] back in his chair, practically every member’s hand was raised requesting the floor. After a… prolonged discussion the assembly became divided… [between] those in favor of the project, and [those]… against. After almost three and a half hours of debate, a motion was made and carried that was made and carried that the Central Committee appoint a committee to formulate a plan as to how the establishment of a District Office could be carried out.

Three months later, to the day, the Alcoholics Anonymous Cleveland District Office would open in Suite 435 of the Williamson Building, located at 200 Public Square (southeast corner) [right: panoramic view of Public Square with Williamson Building at upper right, 1912].

November in A.A. History—day unknown

1947: Florence and Charles C., Jr. [left] signed their personal “Articles of Drinking” [right], committing to each other to drink only under specific conditions. Charles, a member of the Oxford Group from Bedford Hills, New York, had worked with Rev. Sam Shoemaker, but he struggled to achieve sobriety until in October 1935, when A.A. founder Bill W. starting helping him.

Charles served as an officer in both World Wars. He had gone broke as a stockbroker in 1934 and then worked as a theatrical producer (The Cat and the Canary, The Goose Hangs High), a real estate broker, and a writer of radio advertisements, articles, and books.

Around 1937, he wrote The Big Bender [far left], published in 1938, which recounts his story. He then authored Drunks Are Square Pegs [near left], published in 1942. He would later write Drinking’s Not the Problem [near right], published in 1949 and reviewed in the A.A. Grapevine [far right: cover] in December 1949.

November 6 in A.A. History

1880: Ernest Jacoby [right, 1913] was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, as the eighth of eleven known children of Bertha Iklé and Siegfried Jacoby. After emigrating to the United States in 1888, he became a rubber merchant in Boston, Massachusetts, and a parishioner at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. In 1908, he initiated weekly meetings for men struggling with alcohol problems. This group would later advertise itself as the Jacoby Club, “A Club for Men to Help Themselves by Helping Others” [left: ad from 17 Jan 1914, Boston (MA) Evening Transcript, p 43].

1970: Henry Berton “Bert” Davis, 58, died in Memphis, Tennessee.

Today in A.A. History—November 6–8

2020: The 62nd Australian General Service Conference was held online [left: Conference Report cover]. The theme was “I Am Responsible.” Among the advisory actions was #009/2020, which stated:

Conference resolved that the creation of a virtual Area be included as part of the review of the General Service Structure by the Conference Policies & Admissions Committee. All Conference members are requested to advise of any concerns so they can be addressed in a guideline for creating a virtual Area. A draft of this guideline will be circulated to Conference members for input, following which a mail poll will be conducted for approval of the guideline prior to Conference next year.

November in A.A. History—day unknown

1944: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, George S., a man of small stature and dynamic energy, came out of the county hospital and contacted Dr. Gilbert “Gib” K.. Gib had started the first A.A. group in that city in December 1940–January 1941; they met in his home. George had been active in A.A. in Dayton, Ohio, five years earlier but had suffered three prolonged relapses. George and four or five other members started another A.A. meeting on Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall on 10th St. in Milwaukee. It was an open meeting. At 7:00 p.m. they held a beginners’ meeting, which was attended by alcoholics who had come before Judge Harvey Neelen. About the same time, an Alano Club opened and an A.A. central office was established at 1012 N. 3rd St. with a full-time secretary [right: Milwaukee skyline, 1940].

1945: The A.A. Grapevine [left: cover] published Bill W.’s article “Those ‘Goof Balls’” [right], a follow-up to the unsigned October article “Evidence on the Sleeping Pill Menace,” which summarized material from the press, magazines, and medical journals on the dangers of “pills,” especially for alcoholics. Bill’s article was a presentation of personal experiences and observations on the subject. He noted, “Sometimes a general practitioner, not knowing that his patient is already loaded with barbiturates, will give a morphine injection,” citing two examples. He also admitted:

Near the end of my own drinking career I had an alarming experience. Chloral hydrate was prescribed for one of my terrible hangovers. The doctor warned me to stick rigidly to his dosage. But I kept possession of the bottle. While my wife slept quietly beside me I reached under the mattress, took out the flask, and guzzled the whole business. I had a narrow shave. Moral: When a doctor gives a legitimate sedative prescription don’t let the alcoholic have the bottle.

Bill finished with the story of an “alkie” he called “Slim.”

He finally had consented to go to a hospital. On the way he had a few—but only a small quantity compared to his customary capacity. Just before we reached the hospital Slim’s speech suddenly got very thick and he passed out.

Dr. Silkworth took one look at Slim’s blue face.

Said he to me, “How is this man’s heart?” Confidently I replied, “He’s got a heart like an elephant. Told me so himself. But I don’t see how he got drunk so fast. I gave him very little liquor.” Out came the doctor’s stethoscope. Turning then to me, he said, “Not much use bringing this man in here. He can’t last long. What else has he been taking besides liquor?” Stunned, I replied, “Nothing, that I know of.” The doctor shook his head, saying, “This poor chap has been loaded with barbiturates for days. When you gave him alcohol, even a little, it fired off the accumulated charge of sedative he had in him. See how blue he is? His heart isn’t really working much. It’s just jittering. I can’t even count it.”

When Silkie called Slim’s wife, she said he had been on heavy doses of Amytal for 10 days. Silkworth consulted a famous heart specialist who prescribed for Slim, but neither doctor thought he would survive. When the prescription arrived, Silkworth and Bill went to take it up to Slim’s room. As they got off the elevator, they saw someone coming down the hall happily smoking a cigarette. “Hello, boys,” Slim called, “what am I supposed to be doing in here?”