Bible Connection

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. — Romans 14:1-4

All about Bill Wilson (1895-1971)

Bill Wilson was an alcoholic at a time when there was little understanding of addiction. He had his first drink while in the Army during World War I. “I had found the elixir of life” he recalled, and he soon began to drink heavily. After the war, he married Lois Burnham in 1918, and enjoyed great success trading stocks on Wall Street. He lost all of his money in the stock market crash of 1929, but he continued to trade stocks and managed to earn a modest living. However, his heavy drinking continued to get worse, and it slowly took its toll.

Eventually alcohol completely took over his life. By 1933, he had hit bottom. Bill and Lois were living in her parent’s home in Brooklyn. Lois was working in a department store, while Bill spent his days and nights in a near-constant alcoholic stupor. In 1934 After a binge that nearly killed him, he was visited by an old drinking companion Ebby Thacher and was surprised to find that he had been sober for several weeks under the guidance of the evangelical Christian Oxford Group. Wilson took some interest in the group. He shortly after admitted himself to the hospital to end his binge and detox.

It was while undergoing treatment, Thacher visited and tried to persuade him to turn himself over to the care of God as Christians understood him, the God who would liberate him from alcohol. That evening, as low as ever, he had a spiritual experience that changed his life. According to Wilson, while lying in bed depressed and despairing, he cried out, “I’ll do anything! Anything at all! If there be a God, let Him show Himself!” He then had the sensation of a bright light, a feeling of ecstasy, and a new serenity.

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age he recounts it in his own words

Suddenly the room lit up with a bright white light. I was caught up in an ecstasy which there are no words to describe. It seemed to me, in the mind’s eye, that I was on a mountain and that a wind, not of air bit of spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man. Slowly the ecstasy subsided. I lay on the bed but now for a time I was in another world, a new world of consciousness. All about me and through me there was a wonderful feeling of presence and I thought to myself, “So this is the God of the preachers.” A great peace stole over me and I thought, “No matter how wrong things seem to be, they are still alright. Things are alright with God and his world.”

He never drank again for the rest of his life. Wilson described his experience to Dr. William Silkworth, his psychiatrist and medical mentor, who told him, “Something has happened to you I don’t understand. But you had better hang on to it”. Silkworth later recounted, “God had done for him what he could not do for himself.” Bill Wilson had a spiritual awakening and his belief in a higher power and the realization that he couldn’t do it alone would help him to conquer his addiction. He continued in the hospital, getting the latest treatment. He wrote about it:

“While I lay in the hospital, the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.”

He then came to understand how helping others would be essential to his recovery. After his release, he managed to stay sober. He returned to the hospital frequently to help other alcoholics undergoing detox.

It was during this time that he faced a moment of truth at the bar in the Mayflower Hotel. When he was thinking about whether to drink, he called another alcoholic named  Dr. Bob Smith. Wilson and Smith helped each other and then reached out to other alcoholics. Soon they began to hold meetings for recovering alcoholics. They wanted the support and they thought others would want to welcome in others who were looking for help.

By the time the group had about 100 members, Bill began to write down his philosophy as a series of principles for remaining sober. He eventually published them in a book called Alcoholics Anonymous, which also became the name of the organization that he and Dr. Smith founded. That book is now known as The Big Book.

In it, Bill wrote that the key to sobriety was a change of heart. He defined 12 steps to recovery that included an admission that one is powerless over the addiction, a belief in a higher power, making restitution for the wrongs one has committed, and service to others. The co-founder Dr. Robert Smith, in whose house the first meetings were held, and the Jesuit Father Edward Dowling, may be more responsible for the spiritual foundation of A.A. than Wilson. But he synthesized it all and became the prophet.

Bill did not want anyone to profit from their association with A.A. and he believed that one way to avoid that was for members to keep their identities a secret. Also, A.A. members are not required to contribute and no contribution over $1,000 is accepted. He never took a salary for his work or accepted any financial gifts.

As the membership of A.A. grew, he acted as their public spokesman but he never revealed his identity. Bill testified before the U.S. Senate in 1969, but he would only allow himself to be photographed from behind. He wouldn’t allow himself to be photographed at all “even from behind” for a Time magazine cover.

Alcoholics Anonymous has more than 2 million members in over 150 countries today. A.A.’s success in helping alcoholics caused the American Medical Association to officially recognize alcoholism as a disease instead of a failure of will power in 1956. After Bill Wilson died, his wife Lois founded Al-Anon and Alateen as support groups for spouses and children of alcoholics.

The 12-step program that Bill Wilson developed has been successfully adapted to assist those suffering from many other types of addictive and self-destructive behaviors, and spawned many other recovery organizations, including; Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, Gambler’s Anonymous, Debtor’s Anonymous, Smoker’s Anonymous and Workaholics Anonymous.

Writings

• Grapevine writings of Bill Wilson
• Books by and about [link to Amazon]

Quotes

• Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As it does go on, we find that bit by bit we can discard the old life – the one that did not work – for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever.
• True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God.
• Indecision with the passing of time becomes decision.

More

Bio from Stepping Stones, historic home site.

“The spiritual beginnings of AA” from Silkworth.com, a treasure trove of all things AA.

Bill W. the documentary (trailer above)

We know more about addiction these days. Bill W. apparently traded his alcohol addiction for others:

• Though Bill Wilson’s contributions to the understanding of alcoholism and recovery are legendary, he was not a saint. According to many, he was an unrepentant womanizer after A.A. became famous. Many women were attracted to him due to his celebrity within the organization. He reportedly trolled A.A. meetings for young women and offered them private “counseling.” His wife Lois mostly ignored his infidelities.
• He was also blind to the ill effects that smoking had on his health until it was too late. He continued to smoke even though near the end of his life he was suffering from advanced emphysema. He was so addicted to tobacco he would turn off the oxygen he needed to assist his breathing so that he could have a cigarette. He died in Miami in 1971.

What do we do with this?

Spirituality is a group project. It is hard to stay “sober” if we are going it alone. Building community is more important than ever in this atomized world. Any lack of effort could be costly.

A.A. is famous for being more accepting and affirming than the church. In that sense it is a superior denomination than many. Can you instigate a dialogue with your pastor or other church leaders about the advantages A.A. built in to making disciples of A.A?

Bill W.’s various levels of immorality and self-destructive behavior might undermine his right to appear in our blog celebrating notable Christians. His orthodoxy even seems a bit weak. But he is a great example of being part of a team and building community. He is a striking example of not taking public credit in a society obsessed with fame. His anti-individualism and unstinting acceptance has saved lives. Do you keep yourself safe in the eyes of others at the expense of saving others?