Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: A Contemporary Perspective

Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks

A Contemporary Perspective

Dick B.

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

An Introductory Look at Silkworth as One of A.A.’s Co-founders

William Duncan Silkworth, Jr. was born in Brooklyn on July 22, 1873. His family remembers him as a deeply spiritual man, not interested in any particular denomination. But he was, they said, a devout Christian. For many years he did attend Shoemaker’s Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. He matriculated at the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University and did pre-med studies there. His biographer said Silkworth was told quite early of the need for crisis, reform, and conversion when dealing with alcoholism. In his medical studies, he eventually specialized in neuropsychiatry. And at a time when Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were looking at varied approaches to spiritual healing of the mind, Silkworth was busy with medicine and neuropsychiatry. He graduated from Princeton in 1896. He sought an obtained an internship at Bellevue Hospital Medical College and received his medical degree in 1899. Bellevue was one of the only hospitals in the United States with a department that focused on alcoholism treatment. And Silkworth spent many years connected with many hospitals focused on treating alcoholics. He studied under and was tutored by a prestigious physician and professor named Dr. Alexander Lambert—a doctor who had been especially interested in narcotic addiction and treatment. Finally, in the spring of 1929, Silkworth was hired as physician in charge of alcohol rehabilitation at Towns Hospital. And it was at Towns, that Silkworth became much involved with his patient, William Griffith Wilson.

Silkworth, a Spiritual Experience and Medical Treatment—His Foundation for Long-term Recovery: It Depended, He Said, on the Great Physician Jesus Christ

Throughout his medical career in dealing with alcoholic patients until his death in 1951, Silkworth—according to his biographer—had believed a spiritual experience and medical treatment formed the foundation for long-term recovery. He spoke frequently about the need for reliance upon God and a firm foundation of spiritual strength in order to handle the obsession to drink. In the beginning, the recovery success rate was less than 2 percent.

He became a man who believed in a spiritually sound approach to healing. By 1934, Bill Wilson had attempted recovery at Towns Hospital on three separate occasions. Each time, he wound up drunk, and his wife had all but given up hope of his getting sober.

But it is now known that on the third visit, Bill and Dr. Silkworth discussed the “Great Physician.” And Bill understood that to mean that the Great Physician could cure the alcohol sickness. Bill mentioned this option several times. Silkworth finally told Bill how he had read about the successes of other spiritual transformations. He told Bill though, though he was a man of science, he was well aware of the success a spiritual conversion could have. Silkworth used the term “The Great Physician” to explain the need in recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ. And early on, Bill Wilson insisted on references to God and Jesus, as well as the Great Physician. Silkworth had told Bill and at least one other patient that the Great Physician could complete the healing. He said, “His name is Jesus Christ.”

The Early A.A. Big Book Solution: A Vital Spiritual Experience--A Conversion

I have several times told how Bill acted on Silkworth’s advice. First Bill learned that his old friend Ebby Thacher had made a decision of Jesus Christ at Shoemaker’s Calvary Rescue Mission. Bill decided that the Great Physician might be able to help him as He had helped Ebby. Bill went to Calvary Mission, made a decision for Jesus Christ, wrote that for sure he had been “born again.” He then staggered drunk to Towns Hospital, decided to call on the Great Physician for help. He cried out to God for help. He sensed the presence of God in his hospital room. He described a blazing white light that had taken over the room. He concluded, “So this is the God of the Scriptures.” And he never drank again. In fact, in A.A.’s own literature, Bill wrote: “Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me curing me of this terrible disease that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people.”

In short, Bill had—through Silkworth and through his own experience—found the solution to alcoholism, which was the original solution set forth in his 1939 Big Book. A spiritual experience.

And years later, Bill wrote the famous Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung to tell him about the solution, to thank him, and to confirm that the spiritual experience had worked.

As he had done with Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Bill Wilson called Dr. Silkworth a “founder” of A.A. Wilson confirmed many times that Silkworth was “very much a founder of A.A.” He also said, “Perhaps no physician will ever give so much devoted attention to so many alcoholics as did Dr. Silkworth. It is estimated that in his lifetime he saw and amazing 40,000 of them.

The Silkworth Formula—The Essential Features of the New Approach

Silkworth’s biographer quotes Silkworth’s article titled “A New Approach to Psychotherapy to Chronic Alcoholism.” In brief, Silkworth said:

1. The ex-alcoholics capitalize upon a fact which they have so well demonstrated, namely: that one alcoholic can secure the confidence of another in a way and to a degree impossible of attainment by a non-alcoholic outsider.

2. After having fully identified themselves with their “prospect” by a recital of symptoms, behavior, anecdotes, etc., these men allow the patient to draw the inference that if he is seriously alcoholic, there may be no hope for him save a spiritual experience.

3. Once the patient agrees that he is powerless, he finds himself in a serious dilemma. He sees clearly that he must have a spiritual experience or be destroyed by alcohol.

4. The dilemma brings about a crisis in the patient’s life. He finds himself in a situation which, he believes, cannot be untangled by human means. He has been placed in this position by another alcoholic who has recovered through a spiritual experience. Under these conditions, the patient returns to religion with an entire willingness and readily accepts a simple religious proposal. He is then able to acquire much more than a set of religious beliefs; he undergoes the profound mental and emotional change common to religious experience.

5. The fellowship is entirely different concerning the individual manner of spiritual approach so long as the patient is willing to turn his life and his problems over to the care and direction of his Creator.

6. The suggestion is made that he do certain things which are obviously good psychology, good morals and good religion, regardless of creed: (a) That he make a moral appraisal of himself, and confidentially discuss his findings with a competent person whom he trusts. (b) That he try to adjust bad personal relationships, setting right, so far as possible, such wrongs as he may have done in the past; (c) That he recommit himself daily, or hourly if need be, to God’s care and direction, asking for strength; (d) That, if possible, he attend weekly meetings of the fellowship and actively lend a hand with alcoholic newcomers.

Important Tributes

Reader’s Digest writes of Silkworth a few months after his death:

Dr. Silkworth was a great man who failed with all human science and was humble enough to use God for a medicine.

Dr. Bob said:

The Silkworth theory was what triggered him into a new way of life. Dr. Silkworth’s conversion ideas, as confirmed by William James, had struck him at great depth.

Bill Wilson wrote:

We drunks can thank Almighty God that such a man was designated by the divine Providence to inspire and guide us, individually and as a group, on the long way back to sanity.

Silkworth himself wrote:

Since I have been working with A.A. the comparative percentage of successful results has increased to an amazing extent.

The percentage of success that A.A. has scored leaves no doubt that it has something more than we as doctors can offer. It is, I am convinced, your second step. Once the A.A. alcoholic has grasped that, he will have no more slips.     

References

The materials here are based largely upon quotes from and opinions expressed in the following writings:

Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2002).

Bill W., My First 40 Years (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000)

Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006)

Alcoholics Anonymous, 1^st ed. (NY: Works Publishing Company, 1939)

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4tb ed. (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2002)

The Language of the Heart: Bill W.’s Grapevine Writings (NY: The AA Grapevine, Inc., 1988)

16 Specific Practices Associated with the Original Akron A.A. "Christian Fellowship" Program

16 Specific Practices

Associated with the Original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” Program

Bill W. and Dr. Bob Developed

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

The following practices, with the summary of the original program by Frank Amos in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers,[1]show why Albert Scott spoke on behalf of so many Rockefeller observers and characterized the program in this way: “Why, this is first century Christianity! What can we do to help?”[2] In reporting on the program itself, Frank Amos had said that “in many respects, their meetings have taken on the form of the meetings described in the Gospels of the early Christians during the first century.”[3] And there is certainly ample basis for such conclusions in the book of Acts. See Acts 2:38-47, 4:31-37, 10: 34-48, 17:1-4, 19:1-11

And here are 16 actual practices of the original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” during the period from June 10, 1935, to the publishing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") in April 1939:

1. Qualifying the newcomer. Newcomers—and often their wives—were interviewed by Dr. Bob (and other pioneer AAs) to determine: if they had conceded that they had an uncontrollable alcoholism problem; if they had shown a desire to quit permanently; and if they had committed themselves to go to any length to stay sober.[4]

2. Hospitalization was a must. Newcomers were hospitalized for a period of some five-to-seven days. They were medicated to prevent seizures and other problems. During this time, Dr. Bob would visit extensively each day, other sober alcoholics would tell the newcomer their stories, the Bible was the only reading material allowed, and Dr. Bob would offer the newcomer the opportunity to "surrender" before release.[5]

3. “Surrender” by the newcomer before discharge after his five-to-seven-day stay at the hospital. Before the newcomer was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Bob would conduct his final visit and require that the newcomer profess a belief in God—not “a” God, but God.[6] Then the newcomer would get out of his bed, get down on his knees, and pray with Dr. Bob, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in the process.[7]

4. Upon leaving the hospital, in the case of Clarence Snyder at least, Clarence was taken to his first Oxford Group meeting at T. Henry’s house, given a Bible by Dr. Bob, and told by Dr. Bob to “go out and fix drunks as an avocation.”[8] This practice of telling the newcomer, at the time he surrendered to God, that he must go out and help other drunks was consistent from the very first.

5. Most went to live in the Smith residence or in the residences of other Akron people like Wally G. and Tom L. They stayed as long as needed in order to get steady in their path.[9]

6. There were Christian fellowship meetings every day, with Dr. Bob, Anne, and Henrietta Seiberling. These included group Bible study, prayer, and Quiet Time observances.[10]

7. In addition, each morning, alcoholics and their family members gathered at the Smith home for a Quiet Time conducted by Anne, with prayer, Bible reading, seeking guidance, and discussion of portions of Anne’s personal journal.[11]

8. There was one “Oxford Group” meeting each Wednesday at the home of T. Henry Williams—a meeting unlike any other Oxford Group meeting. These meetings scarcely resembled conventional Oxford Group meetings. Oldtimers Wally and Annabelle G. said they had read a lot about the Oxford Group meetings being held at the Mayflower [in 1933] but that “it wasn’t until later that they realized the meeting at T. Henry’s was 'sort of a clandestine lodge of the Oxford Group.'”[12] Dorothy S. M., wife of Dr. Bob's sponsee, Clarence S., observed in 1937 that the meeting was “a regular old fashioned prayer meeting.”[13] Dr. Bob’s son, Robert R. (“Smitty”) Smith, in a telephone conversation with me from his home in Nocona, Texas, described the meetings as “old fashioned revival meetings.”[14] Author Nan Robertson quoted Dr. Bob's son, Smitty, as follows: “It was kind of like an old fashioned revival meeting.”[15] Some called the group itself “the alcoholic squad.”[16] Oxford Group activist Willard Hunter called the group the “alcohol squad of the Oxford Group.” Frank Amos referred to the group as the “self-styled Alcoholic Group of Akron, Ohio.”[17] Dr. Bob called the group a “Christian Fellowship.”[18] Frank Amos declared, “Members did not want the movement connected directly or indirectly with any religious movement or cult; they stressed the point that they had no connection whatever with any so-called orthodox religious denomination, or with the Oxford Movement. (Obviously, Amos meant the Oxford Group).”[19] Bob E. stated:

Dr. Bob and T. Henry “teamed” the meeting; T. Henry took care of the prayers with which the meeting was opened and closed. “There were only a half dozen in the Oxford Group. We [the alcoholics] had more than that. Sometimes, we’d go downstairs and have our meeting, and the Oxford Group would have theirs in the sitting room.”[20]

9.  The “real surrender” by each newcomer at a “regular” meeting on Wednesday. And at these weekly meetings, there was a time in which newcomers were required to make a “real surrender” with Dr. Bob and one or two others upstairs. There the newcomer, on his knees, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, asked that alcohol be taken out of his life, and asked strength and guidance to live according to cardinal Christian teachings. The elders prayed with him after the manner of James 5:16.[21]

10 There was extensive reading of Christian devotionals and literature provided by Dr. Bob, or recommended by Dr. Bob or his wife, and/or distributed or made available at meetings.[22]

11. There was particular stress on study of the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and 1 Corinthians 13.[23]

12. Meetings concluded with invitations to reach out to newcomers in the hospital and elsewhere, and then closed with the Lord’s Prayer.[24]

13. There was frequent socializing in the homes, particularly on Saturday evenings.[25]

14. The little group of members and wives knew each other well. They frequently phoned one another. They frequently visited the homes of each other. They gathered for parties, dances, covered-dish suppers, and picnics. They prayed together. And they frequently had meals together.[26]

15. Keeping track of names, addresses, phone numbers, and sobriety information about each member was commonplace as evidenced by their address books and rosters. They kept little address books with the names, phone numbers, and street addresses of the pioneers. Also, this data was listed on some of the rosters which they kept and which are discussed next.[27]

16. The easy to find, extant rosters they kept, make it equally simple today to name and document the successes, relapses and returns, and failures among the original AAs. Particularly evidenced by the hand-written memo and roster kept by Dr. Bob and on file in the Rockefeller Archives today. Other rosters of the names and addresses, sobriety dates, and relapses, if any, were kept and still exist today. Richard K. of Massachusetts—author of four major works on early A.A. history, including studies of the “First 40” cures, about early articles about A.A., and about statistics relating to A.A.—has discussed these rosters.[28] Richard spent several months with me in Maui reviewing the rosters and materials I had, as well as materials he obtained from A.A. General Services in New York and elsewhere. He carefully examined photocopies of original documents, newspaper accounts, and extant lists of the early A.A. members and their sobriety records. His work is the most important study of early A.A. successes, cures, and announcements written to date. There are also my own copies of the pioneer member rosters which were acquired by me from several A.A. historians such as Earl Husband, George Trotter, Sue Smith Windows (Dr. Bob’s daughter), and Ray Grumney (former long-time archivist and member of the managing board at Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron). Their value became particularly valuable when other evidence was reviewed and clearly disclosed that early AAs commonly kept address books—many of which contained names, addresses, phone numbers, sobriety information, and relapse and death notations. As a group, these rosters enable an accurate evaluation of the successes of the original 40 pioneers surveyed by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in November 1937. And they provide important evidence relating to the 75% and 93% successes rates (overall, and in Cleveland, respectively) early A.A. claimed. Recently, an anonymous friend from New Jersey supplied me with a copy of a roster in Dr. Bob’s own hand, written on his medical office stationary, and listing all the successful original members, giving names, drinking history, relapses if any, sobriety dates, and age. It came from the Rockefeller Archives in New York. I now possess one I secured from those archives. It is a vital, new piece of evidence apparently unknown to those who have disputed the early A.A. successes or temporized about the reason for them.

End

---

[1]      DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135.

[2]     “Pass It On,” 183.

[3]      DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135-136.

[4]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 109, 110, 112, 168, 195.

[5]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 102, 168.

[6]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999), 57. Clarence Snyder specifically related that Dr. Bob “pointed a long bony finger at him, and asked, ‘Young feller, do you believe in God? Not a God, but God!’”

[7]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked, 58.

[8]     Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996), 26.

[9]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 115-16, 177-80, 182; see also: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 10-11, 19, 22, 24; Nell Wing, Grateful to Have Been There, 81; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 181-215.

[10]    The Co-Founders, 13.

[11]    See Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer: The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1992), 41, 29, 42-44; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholic Anonymous, 62-63, 109-10, 202-08

[12]    DR, BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121.

[13]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 101.

[14]    Dick B., The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 66.

[15]    Nan Robertson, Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous (NY: Fawcett Crest, 1988), 50.

[16]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 100, 137.

[17]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 128.

[18]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 118.

[19]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135.

[20]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 142.

[21]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 88-89, 139; Mitchell K., How It Worked, 70; and Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999), 31-32.

[22]    Dick B., The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7^th ed.; Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library, 3^rd ed.; and Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., 2d ed.

[23]    The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975), 13.

[24]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 131, 141, 146-48.

[25]    These first 14 points are discussed in many books by Dick B. and others. One of the most recent and complete discussions is in Dick B., Real Twelve Step Fellowship History, 6-13. See also Dick B., Introduction to the Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2007), 15-23; Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, 3^rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications Inc., 2006); Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2000); Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials. 4^th ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2005); and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, Newton ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998). See also: Mary C. Darrah, Sister Ignatia: Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1992); Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999); DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; and The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975).

[26]   DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 145-48.

[27]    There are specific discussions of these early address books.  For example, Henrietta D., wife of A.A. Number Three, said, “They handed out little address books with everybody’s name in it. . . . the ones who had phone numbers, there they were. And when they said, ‘Drop in on us—anytime,’ they meant it.” A.A.’s biography of Dr. Bob states, “the telephone played an important role in A.A. from the beginning. Alex M., who came into A.A. in 1939, recalled, 'Bob E. made up little address books [as did Elgie R. and others afterward,] and every one of us got one.'” DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 145-46. The author, Dick B., has and displays copies of the pages from Anne Smith’s address book, containing the addresses of early AAs. They are shown at Christian recovery conferences.

[28]    (1) Richard K., A New Light: "The First Forty": A Chronological Survey of the Early AA Pioneers (1934-1938) (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Productions, 2003)--now included in New Freedom–cited below); (2) Richard K., So You Think Drunks Can't Be Cured? Press Releases by Witnesses to the Cure (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); (3) Richard K., Early AA: Separating Fact from Fiction: How Revisionists Have Led Our History Astray (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); and (4) Richard K., New Freedom: Reclaiming Alcoholics Anonymous (n.p.: n.p., 2005–marked "Manuscript Submitted for Inspection: Loan Copy")

Believing: Truth or Experience

Alcoholics Anonymous HistoryA.A.’s Experiment of Faith
and Cofounder Sam Shoemaker

(The rector whose teachings were
the foundation of Bill W.'s 12-Steps)

By Dick B.

© 2010 Anonymous. All rights reserved

The Quandary of Faith

I’m not one who talks much about “faith” because the word comes from a Greek root that can be defined either as “faith” or “belief.” And I prefer the position that A.A.’s Dr. Bob took and required of all the early AAs he helped. It really came from the Book of Hebrews:

Heb 11:6 (KJV):

But without faith, it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

As was his manner, Dr. Bob made it real simple. It was a “Do you or don’t you” approach. And it is spelled out in the account on page 144 of DR. Bob and the Good Oldtimers (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980). Dr. Bob visited Clarence Snyder on the last day of Clarence’s hospitalization. Dr. Bob asked Clarence flat out: “Do you believe in God, young fella? Not a god, God?” Clarence waffled and said he “guessed so.” But Dr. Bob would have none of that. He said: “Either you do or you don’t.” And when Clarence said, “I do;” Bob said “Now we are getting some place.” And they prayed together. Clarence was healed!

Bill Wilson and Sam Shoemaker preferred the open door approach. Both of them wrote that “God either is, or He isn’t.” And they suggested there was a choice. But the choice was a dire one. Believe and be victorious. Or don’t believe and die! And Shoemaker, as was his manner, suggested an experiment of faith. In effect, Shoemaker said that if you obeyed God’s will, you’d realize from the results that it was the genuine thing. Shoemaker fudged a bit in his reliance on John 7:17. Here is what that verse said:

John 7:17 (KJV):

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I [Jesus] speak of myself.

Oxford Group author A. J. Russell said that John 7:17 was Sam’s favorite verse. And Sam certainly quoted it innumerable times. But the verse, even as Shoemaker had learned it and used it, came from Shoemaker’s thought: “Do and know.” This idea became Shoemaker’s experiment of faith—a subject about which Shoemaker wrote a book. Shoemaker thought that if you did God’s will, the willed result would occur, and you would know. The concept gave rise to Shoemaker’s talk of “willingness” and to the incorporation of that idea in A.A.’s Steps 2, 6, and 8: Be willing to act—to believe, to ask, and to make amends—and, when you do, you’ll realize its effectiveness. Presumably because you were acting in accordance with God's will.

See Dick B., New Path—Familiar Road Signs—Our Creator’s Guidance (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 1-21. (This title covers all 16 sources of the ideas): the Bible; the United Christian Endeavor Society; the Salvation Army; rescue missions; the Young Men’s Christian Association (the YMCA); the Oxford Group; Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker; Dr. Bob’s wife—Anne Ripley Smith; conversion and Dr. Carl Jung; William James and his Varieties of Religious Experience; William D. Silkworth--the "disease" and Jesus as the cure; “Quiet Time” and Christian “devotionals”; non-Oxford Group literature by leading Christian writers; lay therapist Richard Peabody; New Thought writers like Emmet Fox; and the “hands-on” “personal work” of recovered alcoholics with newcomers.

Some more about John 7:17. And let's go to

John 7:14-16 (KJV):

Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

He was rejecting the claims of others that he (Jesus) wasn’t speaking of his own ideas. Jesus said, in John 7:16: “My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me.” Centuries later, religious writers began to speak of “obedience as the organ of spiritual knowledge.” See Henry B. Wright, "The Will of God and a Man's Life Work."

If you take all that complicated reasoning, you may conclude, as did Bill Wilson, that it applies to taking A.A.’s steps and then finding out they work. And Bill was building on Shoemaker’s other idea that if you “surrender as much of yourself as you understand to as much of God as you understand,” you’ll come to know God. “Act as if” said Shoemaker, and then you’ll find and know.

But that raises questions. Are we talking about "acting as if" something that is true is true. Or are we "acting as if" something that A.A. or Bill Wilson claim is true is true?

The Choice is Ours

We can go along with Dr. Bob. We can say, “Yes,” I do believe in God. Then come to Him by accepting Jesus as Lord, obeying God's will, and growing in understanding. Or we can go along with Shoemaker and his pupil Bill Wilson, and go the “come to believe” route which is embodied in the Twelve Steps and begins with Step Two—as it was originally worded—“Came to believe that God could restore us to sanity.”

I didn’t “come to believe.” I believed. I didn’t know what sanity meant. But I did know what 2 Timothy 1: 7 said:

2 Tim 1:7 (KJV):

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.

As directed in Romans 12:2, I renewed my mind. I kept saying what God said and believing it to the best of my ability.

I didn’t blame God for my fears or my excessive drinking and disasters. I just believed in God. I just believed that God was not the author of those troubles. I believed that God was a God of power and of love. And that He was not the author of confusion.

And I believed that whatever crazy thinking and behavior had led me to hopeless alcoholism, God could take care of that too. Call His healing the restorationi to a sound mind. Even Bill Wilson wrote in the Big Book that God has restored us to sanity. And He did! There was no quandary of faith. There was proof that believing what God says He is able to do, willing to do, and has done, He will do again if that's in accordance with His will. See 1 John 5:14-15,

Believing God produces results because God's Word is truth--not just an invitation to experiment and "prove" the truth by your experience.

See Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A. (www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml).

"Old School" A.A.: From Akron and Cleveland to 1939 Big Book

Quotes from The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4^th ed.

© 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved

(preliminary draft)

Linking and Applying in A.A. Today the Lessons from Akron and Cleveland Pioneers

The Seven Points of the Frank Amos Report:

Following his visit to Akron in February 1938, Frank Amos, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s agent, summarized the original Akron A.A. “Program” in seven points. Here are those points, as quoted in Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers:

·         An alcoholic must realize that he is an alcoholic, incurable from a medical viewpoint, and that he must never drink anything with alcohol in it.

·         He must surrender himself absolutely to God, realizing that in himself there is no hope.

·         Not only must he want to stop drinking permanently, he must remove from his life other sins such as hatred, adultery, and others which frequently accompany alcoholism. Unless he will do this absolutely, Smith and his associates refuse to work with him.

·         He must have devotions every morning—a “quiet time” of prayer and some reading from the Bible and other religious literature. Unless this is faithfully followed, there is grave danger of backsliding

·         He must be willing to help other alcoholics get straightened out. This throws up a protective barrier and strengthens his own willpower and convictions.

·         It is important, but not vital, that he meet frequently with other reformed alcoholics and form both a social and a religious comradeship.

·         Important, but not vital, that he attend some religious service at least once weekly.

Mr. Amos said, “All the above is being carried out faithfully by the Akron group, and not a day passes when there is not one or more new victims to work on, with Smith as their leader by common consent.”[1]

Stressing Dr. Bob’s importance in the work at Akron, Frank Amos went on to note that even though there were other able men in the group, they all looked to Dr. Bob for leadership.

Points to Remember

• The seven simple points of the original Akron A.A. "Program,"—summarized by Frank Amos and set forth above—should be part and parcel of what Alcoholics Anonymous Fellowship members—and all of those seeking or teaching Christian recovery—should have the opportunity to learn and to apply.
• This means sharing these points today alongside of: (a) the support to be found in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous; (b) the program of recovery spelled out in its Big Book; and (c) the suggested Twelve Steps contained in the Big Book.

The 16 Practices Associated with the Original Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” founded in 1935

Dr. Bob and Bill W. developed 16 actual practices of the original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” during the period from June 10, 1935, to the publishing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") in April 1939. The following are those 16 actual practices as described primarily in A.A.’s own General Service Conference-approved literature:

1. Qualifying the newcomer. Newcomers—and often their wives—were interviewed by Dr. Bob (and other pioneer AAs) to determine: if they had conceded that they had an uncontrollable alcoholism problem; if they had shown a desire to quit permanently; and if they had committed themselves to go to any length to stay sober. [2]

2. Hospitalization was a must. Newcomers were hospitalized for a period of some five-to-seven days. They were medicated to prevent seizures and other problems. During this time, Dr. Bob would visit the newcomer extensively each day. Other sober alcoholics would tell the newcomer their stories. The Bible was the only reading material allowed, and Dr. Bob would read the Bible with the newcomer. And, at the end of the hospitalization period, Dr. Bob would offer the newcomer the opportunity to "surrender" before release. [3]

3. “Surrender” by the newcomer before discharge after his five-to-seven-day stay at the hospital. Before the newcomer was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Bob would conduct his final visit and require that the newcomer profess a belief in God—not “a” God, but God.[4] Then the newcomer would get out of his bed, get down on his knees, and pray with Dr. Bob, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in the process.[5]

4. Upon leaving the hospital, in the case of Clarence Snyder at least, Clarence was taken to his first Oxford Group meeting at T. Henry’s house, given a Bible by Dr. Bob, and told by Dr. Bob to “go out and fix drunks as an avocation.”[6] This practice of telling the newcomer, at the time he surrendered to God, that he must go out and help other drunks was consistently followed from the very first.

5. Most went to live in the Smith residence or in the residences of other Akron people like Wally G. and Tom L. They stayed as long as needed in order to get steady in their path.[7]

6. There were Christian fellowship meetings every day in the hospital; and then in the homes daily with Dr. Bob, Anne, and Henrietta Seiberling.[8] The latter included individual and group Bible study, prayer, and Quiet Time observances.

 

One personal story described the meetings in this way:

Then and then only, after a thorough indoctrination by eight or nine individuals, was I allowed to attend my first meeting. This first meeting was held in the living room of a home and was led by Bill D, the first man that Bill W. and Dr. Bob had worked with successfully.

The meeting consisted of perhaps eight or nine alcoholics and seven or eight wives. It was different from the meetings now held. The big A.A. book had not been written and there was no literature except various religious pamphlets. . . . The meeting lasted an hour and closed with the Lord’s Prayer. . . . Every evening we would meet at the home of one of the members and would have coffee and doughnuts and spend a social evening.

I spent a great deal of time with Dr. Bob whenever he had the time to spare, and in the homes of two or three people, trying to see how the family lived the program.[9]

 

Another personal story described the hospital conversations:

Then occurred the event that saved me. An alcoholic who was a doctor came to see me. He didn’t talk like a preacher at all. . . . The doctor imparted his knowledge to just a few other men at the time—not more than four or five. . . . The visits from these men impressed me at once. I could see they were sober. The third man who came to see me was one of the greatest business getters his company had ever employed. From the top of the heap in a few years. . . his business was practically gone, he told me when he discovered the answer.

 
You’ve been trying man’s ways and they always fail, he told me. You can’t win unless you try God’s way. . . In a few sentences he made God seem personal to me, explained Him as a being who was interested me, the alcoholic, and that all I needed to do was be willing to follow his way; and that as long as I followed it I would be able to overcome my desire for liquor.

He went on talking and told me he had found the plan has a basis of love, and the practice of Christ’s injunction, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”[10]. . . . That day I gave my will to God and asked to be directed. But I have never thought of that as something to do and then forget about. I very early came to see that there had to be a continual renewal of that simple deal with God; that I had to perpetually keep the bargain. So I began to pray; to place my problems in God’s hands.[11]

            

Another personal story said of the visits by others:

There were only seven or eight people in the group before me and they all visited me during my period in the hospital. The very simple program they advised me to follow was that I should ask to know God’s will for me for that one day, and then, to the best of my ability, to follow that, and at night to express my gratefulness to God for the things that had happened to me during the day.[12]

Another personal story described the newcomer’s earliest days:

No conviction was necessary to establish my status as a miserable failure at managing m own life. I began to read the Bible daily and to go over a simple devotional exercise as a way to begin each day. Gradually, I began to understand. . . .  I can remember the urge of the Prodigal Son to return to his Father. . . . But in those days I had no one to whom I might take my troubles. Today I have. Today I have someone who will always hear me. . . . [13] . I took my last drink in 1937.

7. In addition, each morning, alcoholics and their family members gathered at the Smith home for a Quiet Time conducted by Anne, with prayer, Bible reading, seeking guidance, and discussion of portions of Anne’s personal journal.[14]

8. There was one “Oxford Group” meeting each Wednesday at the home of T. Henry Williams—a meeting unlike any other Oxford Group meeting. These meetings scarcely resembled conventional Oxford Group meetings. Oldtimers Wally and Annabelle G. said they had read a lot about the Oxford Group meetings being held at the Mayflower [in 1933] but that “it wasn’t until later that they realized the meeting at T. Henry’s was 'sort of a clandestine lodge of the Oxford Group.'” [15] Dorothy S. M., wife of Dr. Bob's sponsee, Clarence S., observed in 1937 that the meeting was actually “a regular old fashioned prayer meeting.”[16] Dr. Bob’s son, Robert R. (“Smitty”) Smith, in a telephone conversation with me from his home in Nocona, Texas, described the meetings as “old fashioned revival meetings.”[17] Author Nan Robertson quoted Dr. Bob's son, Smitty, as follows: “It was kind of like an old fashioned revival meeting.”[18] Some called the group itself  “the alcoholic squad.” Frank Amos referred to the group as the “self-styled Alcoholic Group of Akron, Ohio.”[19] Dr. Bob called the group a “Christian Fellowship.”[20] And Frank Amos declared, “Members did not want the movement connected directly or indirectly with any religious movement or cult; they stressed the point that they had no connection whatever with any so-called orthodox religious denomination, or with the Oxford Movement. (Obviously, Amos meant the Oxford Group).”[21] Bob E. stated:

Dr. Bob and T. Henry “teamed” the meeting; T. Henry took care of the prayers with which the meeting was opened and closed. “There were only a half dozen in the Oxford Group. We [the alcoholics] had more than that. Sometimes, we’d go downstairs and have our meeting, and the Oxford Group would have theirs in the sitting room.” [22]

9. The “real surrender” by each newcomer at a “regular” meeting on Wednesday.  At these “regular” weekly meetings, there was a time in which newcomers were required to make a “real surrender” with Dr. Bob and one or two others upstairs. There the newcomer, on his knees, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, asked that alcohol be taken out of his life, and asked strength and guidance to live according to cardinal Christian teachings. The elders prayed with him after the manner of James 5:16.[23]

10 There was extensive reading of Christian devotionals and literature provided by Dr. Bob, or recommended by Dr. Bob or his wife, and/or distributed or made available at meetings.[24]

11. There was particular stress on study of the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and 1 Corinthians 13. [25]

12. Meetings concluded with invitations to reach out to newcomers in the hospital and elsewhere, and then closed with the Lord’s Prayer.[26]

13. There was frequent socializing in the homes, particularly on Saturday evenings.[27]

14. The little group of members and wives knew each other well. They frequently phoned one another. They frequently visited the homes of each other. They gathered for parties, dances, covered-dish suppers, and picnics. They prayed together. And they frequently had meals together.[28]

15. Keeping track of names, addresses, phone numbers, and sobriety information about each member was commonplace as evidenced by their address books and rosters. They kept little address books with the names, phone numbers, and street addresses of the pioneers. Also, this data was listed on some of the rosters which they kept and which are discussed next. [29]

16. The easy-to-find, extant rosters they kept make it equally simple today to name and document the successes, relapses and returns, and failures among the original AAs. Particularly evidenced by the hand-written memo and roster kept by Dr. Bob and on file in the Rockefeller Archives at the present time. Other rosters of the names and addresses, sobriety dates, and relapses, if any, were kept and still exist today.

Richard K. of Massachusetts—author of four major works on early A.A. history, including studies of the “First 40” cures, about early articles about A.A., and about statistics relating to A.A.—has discussed these rosters. Richard spent several months with me in Maui reviewing the rosters and materials I had, as well as materials he obtained from A.A. General Services in New York and elsewhere. He carefully examined photocopies of original documents, newspaper accounts, and extant lists of the early A.A. members and their sobriety records. His work is the most important study of early A.A. successes, cures, and announcements written to date.

There are also my own copies of the pioneer member rosters which were acquired by me from several A.A. historians including Earl Husband, George Trotter, Sue Smith Windows (Dr. Bob’s daughter), and Ray Grumney (former long-time archivist and member of the managing board at Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron). Their value became particularly important and confirmed when other evidence was reviewed and clearly disclosed that early AAs commonly kept address books—many of which contained names, addresses, phone numbers, sobriety information, and relapse and death notations. As a group, these rosters enable an accurate evaluation of the successes of the original 40 pioneers surveyed by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in November 1937. And they provide important evidence relating to the 75% and 93% successes rates (overall, and in Cleveland, respectively) early A.A. claimed.

Recently, an anonymous friend from New Jersey supplied me with a copy of a roster in Dr. Bob’s own hand, written on his medical office stationary, and listing all the successful original members, giving names, drinking history, relapses if any, sobriety dates, and age. It came from the Rockefeller Archives in New York. I now possess one I secured from those archives. It is a vital, new piece of evidence apparently unknown to those who have disputed the early A.A. successes or temporized about the reason for them.

The great success of the Cleveland A.A. program founded in May, 1939, by Clarence H. Snyder, shortly after the Big Book was published in April. The Cleveland program took from Akron to Cleveland what might be called “the best of A.A.” at that time. Documentation for the 93% success rate in Cleveland is well established

Here are the high points of the Cleveland program are described by several of the men sponsored by Clarence:

First of all, Clarence never fell for the nonsense gods—the so-called “higher powers” that had begun to proliferate in the fellowship. He learned from Dr. Bob. And he learned the lesson well. For, in the hospital, Dr. Bob had insistently asked Clarence, “Young feller, do you believe in God? Not a God, but God!” When Clarence temporized, Dr. Bob asked him again. And finally Clarence said, “I do believe in God.” Dr. Bob eventually said, “That’s fine. Now we can get someplace.”[30] And Clarence was later to write his sarcastic pamphlet called “My Higher Power—the Light Bulb.”[31]

Second, with the belief in God question settled, Clarence was then required to get out of his hospital bed and get on his knees and pray with Dr. Bob, inviting Jesus to come into his life, to remove the drinking problem. And ask that he manage Clarence’s life because it was unmanageable.[32] Later, Clarence was required to make a “full surrender” upstairs with Dr. Bob, T. Henry Williams and a couple of Oxford Group people. They all got down on their knees with Clarence in an attitude of prayer and introduced Clarence to Jesus as his Lord and savior. They explained that this was “first century Christianity.” And then they prayed for the removal of Clarence’s sins, especially his alcoholism.[33]

And that requirement of becoming a born again Christian prevailed with his sponsees for the rest of his life.[34] In fact, Clarence frequently quoted, and all of his sponsees learned 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”[35]

Third, Clarence made it clear that “by keeping most of the ‘old program,’ including the Four Absolutes and the Bible, ninety three percent of those surveyed had maintained uninterrupted sobriety.”[36]

Writing to a member trying to get A.A. started in a new city, Bill Wilson said:

I explain this at some length because I want you to be successful with yourself and the people with whom you work. We used to pussyfoot on this spiritual business a great deal more out here [in New York City] and the result was bad, for our record falls quite a lot short of the performance of Akron and Cleveland, where there are now about 350 alcoholics, many of them sober 2 or 3 years, with less than 20% ever having had any relapse.”[37]

An even greater, 93% success rate was reported in Cleveland A.A., whose first group was founded in May 11, 1939, shortly after the Big Book was published in April of that year. As Clarence Snyder (Dr. Bob's sponsee and founder of A.A. in Cleveland) is quoted as saying in the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book, DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers:

Clarence said . . . "I think A.A. was more effective in those days. Records in Cleveland show that 93 percent of those who came to us never had a drink again. When I discovered that people had slips in A.A., it really shook me up."[38]

Here is what Mitchell K., Clarence Snyder's biographer, reported as to the 93% success rate in Cleveland:

Two years after the publication of the book [i.e., of Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") in April 1939], Clarence made a survey of all of the members in Cleveland. He concluded that, by keeping most of the "old program," including the Four Absolutes and the Bible, ninety-three percent of those surveyed had maintained uninterrupted sobriety.[39]

And three of Clarence Snyder's sponsees wrote: "Of the first 260 people who came into A.A. in Cleveland, ninety-three percent never drank again!"[40] These were the Cleveland groups that grew from one to thirty in a year.[41]

Fourth, the four winning elements that Clarence Snyder brought to the Cleveland fellowship were: (1) The Bible. “New people were told they had to read the Bible. “The King James Version of the Bible. They were instructed to do this on a daily basis.[42] (2) The Oxford Group Four Absolutes—Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love. Clarence said the early Oxford Group people were told to live by these absolutes to the best of their ability.[43] (3) and (4) The Big Book and the Twelve Steps. And in this respect, Clarence said the name of the Akron group was “Alcoholics Anonymous” taken from the just published Big Book. Clarence wrote an A.A. Sponsorship Pamphlet. [44] And he wrote a guide to “Going Through the Steps.”[45] And Cleveland A.A. not only achieved a 93% success rate, but grew from one group to thirty in a year.[46]

Finally, to top it off, Cleveland had maintained the same tight fellowship that Akron had championed—qualification, hospitalization, Bible, prayer, surrender to Jesus Christ, the literature, the daily comradeship both religious and social, and the all-important work with others. And it did so paying due attention to the Big Book program and 12 Steps that had just come into being.

Taken together with the Akron program, the Cleveland-Akron techniques provide a splendid model for linking the highly successful “old school” A.A. to the 1939 Big Book program that followed it and exists to this day.

---

[1]           DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, 1980), 128-36—especially 131.

[2]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 109, 110, 112, 168, 195.

[3]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 102, 168.

[4]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999), 57. Clarence Snyder specifically related that Dr. Bob “pointed a long bony finger at him, and asked, ‘Young feller, do you believe in God? Not a God, but God!’”

[5]     See Mitchell K., How It Worked, 58.

[6]     Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996), 26.

[7]     DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 115-16, 177-80, 182; see also: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 10-11, 19, 22, 24; Nell Wing, Grateful to Have Been There, 81; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 181-215.

[8]     The Co-Founders, 13.

[9]     Alcoholics Anonymous, 3^rd ed., 191.

[10]    See James 2:16 for the “royal law”—Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” And Dick B., The James Club.

[11]    Alcoholics Anonymous, 3^rd ed., 235-37.

[12]    Alcoholics Anonymous, 3^rd ed., 108-09.

[13]    Alcoholics Anonymous, 3^rd ed., 259-60.

[14]    See Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer: The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1992), 41, 29, 42-44; and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholic Anonymous, 62-63, 109-10, 202-08

[15]    DR, BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121.

[16]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 101

[17]    Dick B., The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 66.

[18]    Nan Robertson, Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous  (NY: Fawcett Crest, 1988), 50.

      251DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 100, 137.

[19]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 128.

[20]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 118.

[21]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 135.

[22]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 142

[23]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 88-89, 139; Mitchell K., How It Worked, 70; and Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999), 31-32; That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous, 37, 51, 71.

[24]    Dick B., The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7^th ed.; Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library, 3^rd ed; and Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., 2d ed.

[25]    The Co-Founders, 13.

[26]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 121, 131, 141, 146-48.

[27]    These first 13 points are discussed in many books by Dick B. and others. One of the most recent and complete discussions is in Dick B., Real Twelve Step Fellowship History, 6-13. See also Dick B., Introduction to the Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2007), 15-23; Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, 3^rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications Inc., 2006); Dick B., The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2000); Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials. 4^th ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2005); and Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, Newton ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998). See also: Mary C. Darrah, Sister Ignatia: Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1992); Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999); DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; and The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975).

[28]    There are specific discussions of these early address books.  For example, Henrietta D., wife of A.A. Number Three, said, “They handed out little address books with everybody’s name in it. . . . the ones who had phone numbers, there they were. And when they said, ‘Drop in on us—anytime,’ they meant it.” A.A.’s biography of Dr. Bob states, “the telephone played an important role in A.A. from the beginning. Alex M., who came into A.A. in 1939, recalled, 'Bob E. made up little address books [as did Elgie R. and others afterward,] and every one of us got one.'” DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 145-46. The author, Dick B., has and displays copies of the pages from Anne Smith’s address book, containing the addresses of early AAs. They are shown at Christian recovery conferences.

[29]    (1) Richard K., A New Light: "The First Forty": A Chronological Survey of the Early AA Pioneers (1934-1938) (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Productions, 2003)--now included in New Freedom–cited below); (2) Richard K., So You Think Drunks Can't Be Cured? Press Releases by Witnesses to the Cure (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); (3) Richard K., Early AA: Separating Fact from Fiction: How Revisionists Have Led Our History Astray (Haverhill, MA: Golden Text Publishing Company, 2003); and (4) Richard K., New Freedom: Reclaiming Alcoholics Anonymous (n.p.: n.p., 2005–marked "Manuscript Submitted for Inspection: Loan Copy")

[30]  Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: A.A. Big Book Study Group, 1997), 57-58.

[31]  Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996), 46-50.

[32]  Mitchell K., How It Worked, 58.

[33]  Mitchell K., How It Worked, 70.

[34]  Three Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timers and Their Wives. Compiled and Edited by Dick B., Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community: A Twelve-Step Guide for Those Who Want to Believe (Winter Park, FL: Came to Believe Publications, 2005), 20-28.

[35]   Dick B., That Amazing Grace, 33-34, 50, 68-69; Our Legacy to the Faith Community, 28, 44; Mitchell K., 64-65.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

[36]   Mitchell K., 108-109.

[37]    Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham, The Spirituality of Imperfection: Modern Wisdom From Classic Stories (NY: Bantam Books, 1992), 110.

[38]    DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 261.

[39]    Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio (Washingtonville, NY: AA Big Book Study Group, 1999), 108.

[40]    Three Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timers and Their Wives, comp. and edited by Dick B., Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community: A Twelve-Step Guide for Those Who Want to Believe (Winter Park, FL: Came to Believe Publications, 2005), 9. See also pages 4 and 75.

[41]    Nobody seemed to reject the claim that the greatest growth in early A.A. was in Cleveland. From a single group which first met in May 1939, Cleveland had grown into perhaps thirty groups over a year period. In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, at pages 21-22, Bill wrote of the growth in both the number of groups, the several hundred members, and results which he said “were of the best.” Bill said that, a year after the publication of the Plain Dealer articles [October 21, 1939, to November 4, 1939—"1939 Cleveland Plain Dealer Articles"; http://barefootsworld.net/aaplaindealer.html; accessed 7/8/09], “Cleveland had about thirty groups and several hundred members." After a diligent investigation of the Cleveland A.A. picture, historian Wally P. reported: “By the end of 1940, Cleveland had 20-30 groups and 400 to 500 members. In September, Dorothy discussed with New York the possibility of setting up a Directory with the names and addresses of group members. . . . The Headquarters responded favorably. . . . The Group Directories were compiled starting in 1940." See Wally P., But, For the Grace of God. . . : How Intergroups & Central Offices Carried the Message of Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1940’s (Wheeling, WV: The Bishop of Books, 1995), 76.

[42]   Mitchell K., 69, 142.

[43]  Mitchell K., 69-70, 98. The Four Absolutes were considered so important that they were on the masthead of the

      Cleveland Central Bulletin of the Cleveland Fellowship.

[44]  Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community, 78-82.

[45]  Mitchel K., 244-248; Dick B.,That Amazing Grace, 66-67.

[46]  Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 21.