July 1 in A.A. History

In 1863, after dark, Gardner Fayette Griffith (Bill W.’s maternal grandfather) [right] arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with the 14th Vermont Regiment.They had been force-marched 130 miles [~210 km] in over 7 days from Washington, DC, to join the Union’s Army of the Potomac as General Robert E. Lee’s rebel army invaded Pennsylvania in late June. It rained every day during that week. The regiment took up a position near Cemetery Hill [left: map with gold arrow near the bottom showing their position during Pickett’s Charge].

In 1938, Honor Dealers, based in Newark, New Jersey, which had been founded by Hank P. [right], had to relocate from 11 Hill St. [far left] to a smaller two-room suite (#601) on the 6th floor of 17 Williams St. [near left]. Both locations also served as the service office for what would later become Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1995, the Los Angeles Times published Tony Perry’s article, “AA Quietly Marks 60 Years of Deep Impact on Society” [right: my re-creation]. In this over 2,600-word piece, Perry discusses the tens of thousands who were celebrating Alcoholics Anonymous’ 60th anniversary in San Diego, as well as the history of the Fellowship and its program of recovery.

In 2000, Nancy F. spoke at the Metrodome during the Saturday night session of the 11th International Convention, which celebrated A.A.’s 65th anniversary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though she was petite and had to stand on a platform to reach the microphone, her spirited presence evoked thunderous applause and cheers of “More!” from the crowd.

In 2002, the first meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference commenced, with approximately 49 interested members representing about 32 online groups in attendance. From the invitation to the conference: 

    The concept of a self-contained general service conference for the online AA world has been, and will continue to be, controversial. Your group’s participation in this exploratory July meeting by sending a rep does not imply your group’s membership in an eventual conference, or even agreement to its principles. It’s just an opportunity for your group to be present at what may someday prove to be another historic moment in AA history.

In 2003, the third meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference commenced, with 43 groups represented. Including alternates and steering committee members, total attendance reached 57.

Today in A.A. History—July 1–3

In 1863, Gardner Fayette Griffith (Bill W.’s maternal grandfather) served in Company B of the 14th Vermont Regiment. This unit was merged with the 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th Regiments to create the 2nd Vermont Brigade, which was assigned to the 1st Army Corps.
    John C. Williams later said of these men,

    The regiment bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Gettysburg, and was highly complimented, both by Gen. Stannard, Brigade Commander, and by Gen. Abner Doubleday, the commandant of the division. Though exposed to the severest fire of the enemy, not a man shirked his duty, but all stood their ground, ‘as though rooted to the earth.’ The 2d Vt., brigade being placed in the front line, in the center position, —the most important in the whole line, for nearly twenty-four hours, it gallantly repelled a vigorous attack, by an overwhelming force of seventeen thousand rebels, and after sustaining a terrific fire from seventy-five to one hundred pieces of artillery, the result of which contributed essentially towards achieving one of the most glorious and decisive victories of the war. The casualties of the fourteenth regiment were twenty-five killed and seventy-five wounded.

In 1955, an estimated 5,000 registrants attended the 2nd International Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrating A.A.’s 20th anniversary. However, the actual number of paid registrations was only 3,800, resulting in an operating deficit of $25,000 [~$300,000 in 2025], which accounted for 10% of the entire annual budget for the New York office and the Trustees. General Manager Hank F. G.^*, Dennis Manders, and the Trustees agreed that this should be A.A.’s last convention, as the Fellowship could not sustain such significant losses. However, when this recommendation was presented at the 1956 General Service Conference, it was rejected.

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^* Source says “Hank C.”, which I think is a mistake.

In 1960, an official estimate reported that 10,000 people attended the 3rd International Convention in Long Beach, California, celebrating A.A.’s 25th anniversary. However, the actual number of paid registrants was closer to 8,700. Despite this, the Convention generated an operating surplus of $600 [~$6,500 in 2025]. Both Long Beach and San Francisco expressed interest in hosting the event, and the final decision was made by a coin toss between the Delegates from Southern and Northern California. The Trustees required local groups to raise sufficient funds to ensure there would be no financial loss and later agreed to match whatever amount was raised, a practice that continued until 1975. While the full story of the event is both fascinating and lengthy, one memorable detail is that they ran out of coffee!

Today in A.A. History—July 1–4

In 1993, six or seven thousand A.A. members and friends from Canada, the U.S., South America, Europe, and Asia gathered in Toronto, Ontario, to celebrate 50 years of Alcoholics Anonymous in Canada. The event featured participants from countries such as Mexico, the West Indies, Brazil, England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, and Sri Lanka. The comprehensive program included 31 speaker meetings, 26 panels, 40 marathon meetings lasting 50 hours, and two talkathons.

In 2010, despite the ongoing threat of bad weather from the remnants of Hurricane Alex^*, approximately 53,000 people attended the 13th International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in San Antonio, Texas, themed “A Vision For You” [left: a Big Meeting at the Alamodome].
    During the event, the 30 millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was presented to Rebecca Patchin, former chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.

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^* Hurricane Alex's spiral bands brought tropical storm-force winds to southern Texas, reaching a peak of 51 mph [82 km/h] in Port Isabel. The storm also set rainfall accumulation records, caused a storm surge of at least 3.5 feet [1.1 meters] that eroded beaches, and spawned nine tornadoes, all rated EF0. The storm dissipated on July 6 [below: Hurricane Alex making landfall on Mexico at peak intensity on July 1; track map of Hurricane Alex, showing the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The color represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale, and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below]. 

WHITE TEXT HERE

June 30 in A.A. History

In 1940, Works Publishing, Inc. released its first financial report [right: p. 4, "Receipts and Disbursements"], consisting of eight pages. However, the records used to compile this report were not entirely reliable.

Today in A.A. History—June 30–July 3

In 2005, nearly 44,000 people attended the 12th Internation

­

al Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in Toronto, Ontario, celebrating A.A.’s 70th anniversary [below: scene from Rogers Centre Stadium]. The theme of the event was “I Am Responsible.” During the convention, the 25 millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was presented to Jill Brown, the warden of San Quentin Prison.

 

 

June 29 in A.A. History

Today in A.A. History—June 29–July 2

In 1995, fifty-six thousand people celebrated the 60th Anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) at the 10th International Convention in San Diego, California [left: big meeting Jack Murphy Stadium].

In 2000, forty-seven thousand people gathered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) at the 11th International Convention [right: Gary Glynn, General Service Board Chair, at the Opening Meeting, from Box 4-5-9, Aug/Sep 2000].

Today in A.A. History—June 29–July 4

In 1913, Bill W. accompanied his maternal grandfather, Gardner Fayette Griffith [left], to the 50th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Get­tys­burg, where Fayette had fought.
    This spectacular event was organized with meticulous care and efficiency by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Federal War Department. It attracted 53,407 veterans, including approximately 8,750 former Confederates, making it the largest Civil War veterans’ reunion ever held. All honorably discharged veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans were invited, and veterans from 46 of the 48 states attended. Bill and Fayette likely stayed at the Great Camp [below: panoramic view], a tent city established by the War Department on leased farmland near the battlefield.
    Fayette pointed out where his military unit, the 14th Vermont Infantry, Company B, along with other Vermont regiments, had outflanked Pickett’s charge and contributed greatly to the Union vic­tory. The hot days were filled with speeches and exhibits, culminating in an address by President Woodrow Wilson on the 4th.

June 28 in A.A. History

In 1935, Dr. Bob S. and Bill W. first visited Bill D. [right] at Akron City Hospital in Ohio. His story, “Alcoholic Anonymous Number Three” appears in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. A prominent attorney in Akron, Bill D. had been hospitalized for his drinking eight times in the first half of 1935 alone. Following their initial visit, Dr. Bob and Bill W. saw Bill D. every day.^* It took about five days for him to admit that he could not control his drinking. He left the hospital on July 4 and, within a week, returned to court sober to argue a case. The founding of Akron’s Group #1, A.A.’s first group, is marked by the day Bill D. left the hospital. He later became a Panel 1 Delegate for Ohio, serving at the first General Service Conference in 1951.

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^* Ernie G., A.A. #4, who sobered up, at least temporarily, later that summer, claimed to have been on at least one of these visits to see Bill D.

In 1940, Works Publishing, Inc. formally acquired the assets and liabilities of “William G. W▓▓▓, doing business as Works Publishing Company, of New York City, N. Y.” [left: copyright assignment]. This acquisition presumably included the copyright to Alcoholics Anon­y­mous, known as the Big Book. However, it was later discovered that this copyright was never valid because some prepublication multilith manuscript copies of the book had been distributed without any indication that they were “ON LOAN.”

In 1944, a photo was taken of bridge players in an Alcoholics Anonymous club room [right], probably the Cosmopolitan Club at 405 W. 41st St. in Manhattan.

In 1961, Irwin “Irv” M., 63, died in Los Angeles, California [left: gravestone].

Today in A.A. History—June 28–30

In 1955, most of the sessions of the 5th General Service Confer- ence (GSC) took place at the Jefferson Hotel [right, 1940s] in St. Louis, Missouri.
    The final session—the only public one ever held during a GSC—occurred on the stage of the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis on 3 July (q.v. that date). This marked the end of the GSC experiment and established a lasting component of the A.A. General Service Structure that remains in place today.

June 27 in A.A. History

In 1938, [Lois Remembers says June 15] Lois and Bill W. [right: in happier times, c. late 1930s] had a big fight at their home at 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn. Lois had visited her sister five days earlier and returned on the 25th. Within the next 48 hours, a conflict of some kind arose between them. Lois later wrote, “I got mad at Bill and he dashed out to take a drink, but went to [Hank and Kathleen] P——s [sic] instead.” In her diary, she noted that after she “got mad at Bill,” he “went over to Jersey for lunch” and that the fight was so bad that he “came close to taking a drink.”

June 26 in A.A. History

In 1935, Bill D. [right, with his wife, Henrietta], a prominent attorney and Akron city councilman, was admitted to Akron City Hospital in Ohio for his final detox and the first day of his sobriety. In his story, “Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three,” found in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of Alcoholics Anonymous, he wrote,

    On June 26, 1935, I came to in the hospital, and to say I was discouraged is to put it mildly. Each of the seven times I had left this hospital in the previous six months, I had come fully determined in my own mind that I would not get drunk again—for at least six to eight months. It hadn’t worked out that way, and I didn’t know what the matter was and did not know what to do

    Two days later, Bill W. and Dr. Bob S. came to see him. Six days after that, he left the hospital, never to drink again. That day, July 4, marked the founding of A.A. Group Number One. Within a week, he was back in court, arguing a case.

Today in A.A. History—June 26–29

In 1955, the 5th General Service Conference met prior to the 2nd International Conference at the Jefferson Hotel [left, c. 1940s] in St. Louis, Missouri. Advisory Actions included:

• The… plan for selecting Class B Trustees from outlying areas is submitted for consideration, subject to approval of the General Service Conference [note: this is the first move to establish Regions—the initial geographical groupings were called “Area A” thru “Area E”].
• The Delegates voted overwhelmingly to set the retail price of the new edition [of Alcoholics Anonymous] at $4.50 [~$54 in 2025], the price to A.A. groups at $4.00 [~$48 in 2025] and to earmark fifty cents [of each sale] for the Reserve Fund.
• … adopting the proposed permanent “Charter of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous—North American Section,” subject to approval of the 20th Anniversary Convention of A.A.

A Public Relations Policy and Practice report noted, among other things, the following activities:

• Headquarters cooperation with the North American Newspaper Alliance syndicate, with Fawcett Publications and with the New York Daily News on stories proposed. In all cases, emphasis is on the fact that A.A. does not “promote” publicity, nor does it endorse specific articles.
• Headquarters cooperation in John Daly’s network television presentation on A.A. on his “Open Hearing” program. Substantial assistance was rendered by Grapevine personnel.
• Continued correspondence and consultation with representatives of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios over the projected filming of the Lillian Roth book, “I'll Cry Tomorrow,” in which it is proposed to portray an A.A. member who deliberately breaks anonymity.

June 25 in A.A. History

In 1908, David “Dave” B. [left] was born in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up in Knowlton, Quebec, and married Dorothy Ford on 1 Sep 1929. Together, they would have three children and thirteen grandchildren.

    In the late 1930s or early 1940s, he would be incarcerated in a mental institution. He would get sober in Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) in 1944 and become a founding member of A.A. in Quebec. From 1962 to 1964, he served as a Class B [alcoholic] Trustee. His story, “Gratitude in Action,” appeared in the fourth edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. It is said that every French-speaking A.A. meeting in the world traces its roots back to the group he founded in Montreal.

In 1939, Percy Hutchison of The New York Times gave a highly favorable review [right] of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. He noted that its central thesis “is more soundly based psychologically than any other treatment of the subject I have ever come upon.” However, despite the positive review, sales did not improve, as the book was not available in bookstores.

June 24 in A.A. History

In 1898, Irwin “Irv” M. [right, as an adult] was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Minnie Cohen and Benjamin William M., as the eldest of six children. 

    He would begin his career as a salesman but struggled with alcoholism, losing several accounts before becoming one of Clarence S.’s “babies” [sponsees]. Irv’s wife would often ask Clarence to “pull” Irv out of bars and “convince” him that he “needed to be fixed.” Irv initially found it difficult to stay sober, but eventually embraced the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and dedicated himself to helping others.
    As a salesman, Irv traveled extensively throughout the southeastern United States, selling Venetian blinds. During his travels, he started A.A. meetings and became a highly effective high-pressure salesman, with both alcoholics and his customers. In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill W. would note:
Irwin weighed 250 pounds [~113.4 kg], at 5’9” [175 cm] tall] and was full of energy and gusto. The prospect of Irwin, as a missionary, scared us rather badly.
    Due to his vast sales territory, Irv regularly received lists of potential A.A. members from Ruth Hock at the Alcoholic Foundation Headquarters in New York City. He pursued these leads with the same enthusiasm he applied to his sales efforts, establishing A.A. groups in cities such as Atlanta, Georgia; Indianapolis, Indiana; West Virginia; and throughout the South.

In 1938, Bill W. [far left] replied to a letter dated June 21 from Jeremiah D. Maguire [near left], President of Federation Bank and Trust Company. In their previous correspondence, Bill had sent Maguire Hank Parkhurst’s promotional brochure. Maguire’s letter expressed interest in the brochure and offered “to try to work out an appointment.” Bill expressed gratitude and included an outline of the remaining chapters of the book, along with a copy of a letter he had dictated to Dr. Bob Smith to “give you [Maguire] a clearer idea of what is going on and how we are progressing.”

In 1938, Frank Amos [near right] wrote to Albert Scott [far right] (both close associates of John D. Rockefeller, Jr)…

    to tell you in detail the developments in the activities of the self-styled Alcoholics squad… The work has been going splendidly and every day evidences are piling up which strengthen my conviction that these fellows are not only on the level but have developed a Christian technique which if earnestly followed out is, and can be, effective in a majority of cases… [T]hey have decided to bring out a book.… The idea is for the book not to bear the name of any author but to be by “Alcoholics Anonymous.”

    He included…

    a rough draft of the first dictation. The first page… is outlining the purpose of it. The rest is a rough beginning on Chapter I [“There Is A Solution”] and on the first story of an ex-alcoholic [“Bill’s Story”].

In 1985, U.S. President Ronald Reagan [left] sent a two-page letter of congratulations to Alcoholics Anonymous in recognition of its 50th Anniversary celebration, which would take place during the International Convention in Montreal from July 5 to 7. The letter [right] stated, in part:

    Nancy and I send our warmest wishes for a successful convention as you continue to observe the 50th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous.        Look around you, at the more than 30,000 men, women, and even children who have overcome alcoholism. You are the lucky ones; you are the winners.…
    I would like to share with you one of Nancy’s favorite stories. It is about a starfish man.
    One morning at dawn, a young boy went for a walk on the beach. Up ahead, he noticed an old man stooping down to pick up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally, catching up with the old man, the boy asked him what he was doing. The old man answered that the stranded starfish would die unless they were returned to the water.
    “But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish,” protested the boy.        “How can what you’re doing make any difference?”
    The old man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said.
    When the co-founders of AA first began to share their hope, they had no idea that AA would become more than one million members strong, or that it would encompass 114 countries around the world. But they laid the foundation for the world's largest self-help group. They reached for only one stranded starfish at a time… one day at a time.
    You are making the world a better place for all of us, and on behalf of all mankind, we are grateful. God bless all of you.

June 22 in A.A. History

In 1916, Norwich University cadets, including Bill W. [right: at Norwich], were mobilized to Fort Ethan Allen. Four days earlier, President Woodrow Wilson had ordered the activation of all National Guard units from states not already involved in Brigadier General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing’s “Punitive Expedition” to capture Pancho Villa. As a result, Norwich University readmitted the sophomore class, including Bill, all of whom had been expelled after a hazing incident in February, so they could be mobilized.

In 2012, the U.S. Library of Congress launched an exhibit titled “Books that Shaped America,” showcasing 88 books that “shaped Americans’ views of their world and the world’s views of America.” Among these influential works is Alcoholics Anonymous [left: exhibit card], about which the exhibit said,

    The famous 12-step program for stopping an addiction has sold more than 30 million copies. Millions of men and women worldwide have turned to the program co-founded by Bill W[—] and Dr. Bob S[—] to recover from alcoholism. The "Big Book," as it is known, spawned similar programs for other forms of addiction. Shown here is the third edition. The book is now in its fourth edition.

June 21 in A.A. History

In 1938, Jeremiah D. Maguire [right], President of the Federation Bank and Trust Company, received a copy of Hank P.’s “neatly gotten up brochure” from Bill W., which included the latest versions of “There Is A Solution” and “Bill’s Story.” In his reply to Bill, Maguire expressed his approval:

    I have not read [it] intently, but such extracts as I have had opportunity to read prove the document a very interesting one and I shall take the opportunity to read it more at more length.… On my return from the Bankers Convention,…I will try to work out an appointment with you.

1944, the first issue—Vol. I, No. 1—of The Grapevine was published in an edition of 1,200 copies.
    A one-year subscription cost $1.50 [~$27.40 in 2025], resulting in 165 subscriptions. Six volunteers, whom Bill W. referred to as “six ink-stained wretches,” launched it as an 8-page newsletter for members in the New York City area and for GIs overseas.

    An article in that first issue identified these six as “a cashier; a radio script writer [sic]; an author; a bookseller; an art director; a wife and mother of two.” Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age later named them as “Marty [M.], Priscilla [P.], Lois K., Abbott [‘Bud’ T.], Maeve [S.], and Kay,” acknowledging Grace O. and her husband Fulton as “moving spirits.”

    The July/August/September 2007 issue of Culture, Alcohol & Society Quarterly identified the group as “Abbot [sic] (Bud) T.; Lois K., Priscilla P., Chase H., Marty M., and Felicia G.” Priscilla—Marty’s partner, an artist and later art director for prestigious magazines in both the U.S. and Europe—designed the masthead [left].

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Note: all square brackets ([ ]) are from the original, except for “[sic]”.

June 20 in A.A. History

In 1944, Alcoholics Anonymous National Secretary Margaret “Bobbie” B. [near right] announced in a bulletin to A.A. groups that the demand for copies of Bill W.’s presentation to the New York State Medical Society and Dr. Harry Tiebout’s paper to the American Psychiatric Association was so great that both articles would be published in a pamphlet titled “Medicine Looks at Alcoholics Anonymous” [far right: as published, undated].

In 1946, Drs. C. Nelson Davis [far left] and C. Dudley Saul [near left] established The C. Dudley Saul Clinic for alcoholics at St. Luke’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This clinic was the first private facility of its kind in the United States. 

    After Dr. Saul’s death in 1947, Dr. Davis moved the clinic to Malvern, Pennsylvania, renaming it the Malvern Institute [right, 2017]. Both doctors were early advocates of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and traveled together to promote the organization, believing in the benefits of a 12-step program for recovering alcoholics.

    Additionally, Dr. Saul founded the 4021 Clubhouse [left, 1972] in Philadelphia for A.A. meetings, which remains active today.

June 19 in A.A. History

Today in A.A. History—June 19–21

In 1981, the University of Akron in Ohio hosted the 46th Annual A.A. Founders’ Day Weekend, as noted in issue #9 of the Founders Day Herald from 1981 [left].

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.

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^* 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.

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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.