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Writer's pictureMatt Hanley

How Bill Met Bob

The story of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) begins with the unlikely meeting of two men, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who both struggled with alcoholism. Their chance encounter would eventually lead to the development of a program that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve sobriety.


Bill Wilson was a struggling alcoholic who had been in and out of hospitals and treatment centers for years. In the summer of 1935, he was staying with a friend in Akron, Ohio, when he began to experience intense cravings for alcohol. Desperate for help, he decided to call a local church to ask if they knew of any other alcoholics he could talk to.


The church put Wilson in touch with a man named Henrietta Seiberling, who was herself a member of the Oxford Group, a Christian organization that emphasized spiritual principles and moral values. Seiberling arranged for Wilson to meet with a man named Dr. Bob Smith, who was also an alcoholic.


Dr. Bob Smith was a successful physician who had been struggling with alcoholism for years. He had tried various methods of treatment, but nothing had worked. When he met with Wilson, he was initially skeptical, but he soon realized that Wilson understood his struggles in a way that no one else had.


The two men spent hours talking about their experiences with alcoholism and sharing their thoughts and feelings with each other. They both felt a sense of relief and hope after their conversation, and they agreed to continue meeting and talking to each other.


Over the next few weeks, Wilson and Smith continued to meet and discuss their struggles with alcoholism. They also began to develop a program of recovery that incorporated spiritual principles, mutual support, and personal responsibility.


The program they developed became the basis for Alcoholics Anonymous, which was officially founded in 1935. The basic tenets of the program include admitting powerlessness over alcohol, surrendering to a higher power, taking a moral inventory, making amends for past wrongs, and helping others to achieve sobriety.


Wilson and Smith continued to work together to develop and promote AA, traveling across the country and around the world to help others recover from alcoholism. They also established the Twelve Traditions of AA, a set of guidelines that help to maintain the organization's unity and effectiveness.


The story of Alcoholics Anonymous began with the unlikely meeting of two men, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who both struggled with alcoholism. Their chance encounter led to the development of a program that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve sobriety. Wilson and Smith's partnership and dedication to the program of AA continue to inspire and guide those who seek a path to recovery.

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