| "If it works don't fix it." |
| A.A. Area 26/District 5 |
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NOTE: This page is not endorsed nor approved by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, It is solely provided by District 5 as
part of its 12th Step work in reaching out to the alcoholic who still suffers. Some of the items on this page may have originally
been published by AA World Services, Inc., or the AA Grapevine, Inc., but do not assume that this implies permission or
continued approval by the General Service Conference for their use in these pages.
Alcoholics Anonymous®, AA®, and The Big Book® are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. The
Grapevine® and AA Grapevine® are registered trademarks of The AA Grapevine, Inc.
part of its 12th Step work in reaching out to the alcoholic who still suffers. Some of the items on this page may have originally
been published by AA World Services, Inc., or the AA Grapevine, Inc., but do not assume that this implies permission or
continued approval by the General Service Conference for their use in these pages.
Alcoholics Anonymous®, AA®, and The Big Book® are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. The
Grapevine® and AA Grapevine® are registered trademarks of The AA Grapevine, Inc.
| Last Updated 02/15/2011 |
| AA: the history |
The origins of Alcoholics Anonymous can be
traced to the Oxford Group, a religious movement
popular in the United States and Europe in the early
20th century.
Members of the Oxford Group practiced a formula
of self-improvement by performing self-inventory,
admitting wrongs, making amends, using prayer and
meditation, and carrying the message to others.
In the early 1930s, a well-to-do Vermonter,
Rowland H., visited the noted Swiss psychoanalyst
Carl Jung (at left) for help with his alcoholism. Jung
determined that Rowland's case was medically
hopeless, and that he could only find relief through a
vital spiritual experience. Jung directed him to the
Oxford Group.
traced to the Oxford Group, a religious movement
popular in the United States and Europe in the early
20th century.
Members of the Oxford Group practiced a formula
of self-improvement by performing self-inventory,
admitting wrongs, making amends, using prayer and
meditation, and carrying the message to others.
In the early 1930s, a well-to-do Vermonter,
Rowland H., visited the noted Swiss psychoanalyst
Carl Jung (at left) for help with his alcoholism. Jung
determined that Rowland's case was medically
hopeless, and that he could only find relief through a
vital spiritual experience. Jung directed him to the
Oxford Group.
Rowland later introduced fellow Vermonter Edwin ("Ebby") T. to the group, and the two men along with
several others were finally able to keep from drinking by practicing the Oxford Group principles.
MORE TO COME.....
several others were finally able to keep from drinking by practicing the Oxford Group principles.
- One of Ebby's schoolmate friends from Vermont and
a drinking buddy, was Bill W.. Ebby sought out his old
friend at his home at 182 Clinton Street in Brooklyn, New
York, to carry the message of hope.
Bill W. had been a golden boy on Wall Street,
enjoying success and power as a stockbroker, but his
promising career had been ruined by continuous and
chronic alcoholism. Now, approaching 39 years of age, he
was learning that his problem was hopeless, progressive,
and irreversible. He had sought medical treatment at
Towns Hospital in Manhattan, but he was still drinking.
Bill was, at first, unconvinced by Ebby's story of
transformation and the claims of the Oxford Group. But in
December 1934, after again landing in Towns hospital for
treatment, Bill underwent a powerful spiritual experience
unlike any he had ever known. His depression and despair
were lifted, and he felt free and at peace. Bill stopped
drinking, and worked the rest of his life to bring that
freedom and peace to other alcoholics. The roots of
Alcoholics Anonymous were planted.
MORE TO COME.....
| Rowland H. Oxford Group |
| Carl Jung, Swiss psychoanalyst |
| Bill W. and Ebby T. |
| The Oxford Group |