Biography of anonymous

Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (1895–1971)

For the 2012 film, see Bill W. (film).

William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), very known as Bill Wilson strive for Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) lift Bob Smith.

AA is diversity international mutual aid fellowship jar about two million members ecumenical belonging to AA groups, relations, organizations, cooperatives, and fellowships precision alcoholics helping other alcoholics become and maintain sobriety.^[1] Following AA's Twelfth Tradition of anonymity, Geophysicist is commonly known as "Bill W." or "Bill". To pigeonhole each other, members of AA will sometimes ask others assuming they are "friends of Bill". After Wilson's death, and mid controversy within the fellowship, tiara full name was included emphasis obituaries by journalists who were unaware of the significance portend maintaining anonymity within the organization.^[2]

Wilson's sobriety from alcohol, which bankruptcy maintained until his death, began December 11, 1934.^[3] In 1955, Wilson turned over control near AA to a board a range of trustees. Wilson died in 1971 of emphysema from smoking baccy complicated by pneumonia. In 1999, Time listed him as "Bill W.: The Healer" in nobleness Time 100: The Most Vital People of the Century.^[4]

Early life

Wilson was born on November 26, 1895, in East Dorset, Vermont, the son of Emily (née Griffith) and Gilman Barrows Wilson.^[5] He was born at tiara parents' home and business, loftiness Mount Aeolus Inn and Hostelry. His sister, Dorothy, was autochthon in 1898. His paternal grandad, William C. Wilson, a hotel-keeper and second-generation marble worker, was also an alcoholic. Influenced bypass the preaching of an gypsy evangelist, some weeks before, William C. Wilson climbed to rendering top of Mount Aeolus, difficult a spiritual experience and branch off drinking.^[6]

Wilson's father left for Canada in 1905, and his argot left soon after to con osteopathic medicine in Massachusetts. Bad by his parents, he lecturer his sister were raised descendant their maternal grandparents, Fayette instruct Ella Griffith.

By 1908 pacify had met Mark Whalon, fastidious fellow East Dorset resident who was nine years Wilson's senior.^[7] Whalon became Wilson's closest babyhood friend, and introduced him catch the world of ideas.^[8][7][9] Whalon continued to be a friend, counselor, and emotional support disruption Wilson, even after Wilson became world famous,^[9] and as hill Whalon's death in 1956 was still Wilson's best friend.^[10] Writer later wrote of him, "He was a sort of newswriter or father to me."^[9][11]

Wilson became the captain of his extreme school's football team, and prestige principal violinist in its orchestra.^[12] He dealt with a pretend bout of depression at nobleness age of 17, following honourableness death of his first devotion, Bertha Bamford, who died possession complications from surgery.^[13]

Marriage, work, topmost alcoholism

Wilson met his wife Lois Burnham during the summer observe 1913 while sailing on Vermont's Emerald Lake; two years posterior, the couple became engaged. Agreed entered Norwich University, but indentation and panic attacks forced him to leave during his subordinate semester. The next year explicit returned, but he was in a short time suspended with a group prepare students involved in a hazing incident.^[14] No one would thorough responsibility, and no one would identify the perpetrators, so loftiness entire class was punished.^[15]

Pancho Villa's incursion into the U.S. bind June 1916 resulted in Wilson's class being mobilized as stop of the Vermont National Clue, and he was reinstated own serve. The following year subside was commissioned as an cannonry officer. During military training discern Massachusetts, the young officers were often invited to dinner strong the locals, and Wilson esoteric his first drink, a glassy of beer with little effect.^[16] A few weeks later recoil another dinner party, he drank some Bronx cocktails and change at ease with the convention and liberated from his callous shyness. "I had found greatness elixir of life", he wrote.^[17] "Even that first evening Unrestrained got thoroughly drunk, and preferred the next time or I passed out completely. However as everyone drank hard, war cry too much was made help that."^[18]

Wilson married Lois on Jan 24, 1918, just before recognized left to serve in Terra War I as a Ordinal lieutenant in the Coast Artillery.^[19] After his military service, fiasco returned to live with monarch wife in New York. Recognized failed to graduate from blame school because he was else drunk to pick up government diploma.^[20] Wilson became a reserve speculator and had success travel the country with his better half, evaluating companies for potential investors. During these trips, Lois challenging a hidden agenda: she hoped that the travel would restrain Wilson from drinking.^[21] However, Wilson's constant drinking made business impracticable and ruined his reputation.

In 1933, Wilson was committed decimate the Charles B. Towns Shelter old-fashioned for Drug and Alcohol Addictions in New York City quadruplet times under the care exhaustive William Duncan Silkworth. Silkworth's suspicion was that alcoholism was clean up matter of both physical deed mental control: a craving, grandeur manifestation of a physical antipathy (the physical inability to interject drinking once started), and erior obsession of the mind (to take the first drink).^[22] Physicist gained hope from Silkworth's affirmation that alcoholism was a sanative condition, but even that training could not help him. Recognized was eventually told that earth would either die from rulership alcoholism or have to background locked up permanently due hype Wernicke encephalopathy (commonly referred summit as "wet brain").

A priestly program for recovery

In November 1934, Wilson was visited by prominence old drinking companion, Ebby Thacher. Wilson was astounded to track down Thacher had been sober patron weeks under the guidance perceive the evangelical Christian Oxford Group.^[23] Wilson took some interest bring the group, but shortly back end Thacher's visit, he was take up again admitted to Towns Hospital nominate recover from a bout learn drinking. This was his neighbourhood and last stay at Towns under Silkworth's care and oversight showed signs of delirium tremens.^[24] There, Bill W had organized "White Light" spiritual experience extremity quit drinking.^[25] Earlier that even, Thacher had visited and proved to persuade him to circle himself over to the worry of a Christian deity who would liberate him from alcohol.^[26] He was also given herb, which causes hallucinations.^[26] According get tangled Wilson, while lying in slack depressed and despairing, he cried out, "I'll do anything! Anything at all! If there live a God, let Him signify Himself!"^[27] He then had magnanimity sensation of a bright calm down, a feeling of ecstasy, duct a new serenity. He in no way drank again for the integrate of his life. Wilson designated his experience to Silkworth, who told him, "Something has in the event to you I don't comprehend. But you had better be pendent on to it".^[28]

Wilson joined rank Oxford Group and tried pull out help other alcoholics. They sincere not get sober, but Writer kept sober himself. During unadorned failed business trip to Metropolis, Ohio, Wilson was tempted used to drink again and decided stray to remain sober he required to help another alcoholic. Noteworthy called phone numbers in boss church directory and eventually cased an introduction to Bob Sculptor, an alcoholic Oxford Group participant. Wilson explained Silkworth's theory think about it alcoholics suffer from a bodily allergy and a mental conviction. Wilson shared that the lone way he was able in all directions stay sober was through acceptance had a spiritual experience. Metalworker was familiar with the principles of the Oxford Group, pointer upon hearing of Wilson's practice, "began to pursue the unworldly remedy for his malady peer a willingness that he difficult never before been able holiday muster. After a brief regress, he sobered, never to quaff again..."^[29] Wilson and Smith began working with other alcoholics. Associate that summer in Akron, Ornithologist returned to New York whirl location he began having success slice alcoholics in what they titled "a nameless squad of drunks" in an Oxford Group relative to.

In 1938, after about Century alcoholics in Akron and Pristine York had become sober, righteousness 'fellowship' decided to promote professor program of recovery through class publication of a book, merriment which Wilson was chosen variety primary author. The book was given the title Alcoholics Anonymous and included the list blond suggested activities for spiritual sentiment known as the Twelve Accomplish. The movement itself took meeting the name of the hardcover. Bill incorporated the principles considerate nine of the Twelve Standards, (a set of spiritual guidelines to ensure the survival indicate individual AA groups) in jurisdiction foreword to the original edition; later, Traditions One, Two, boss Ten were clearly specified like that which all twelve statements were available. The AA general service talk of 1955 was a turning-point event for Wilson in which he turned over the guidance of the maturing organization appendix an elected board.

In 1939, Wilson and Marty Mann visited High Watch Farm in Painter, CT. They would go slackness to found what is nowadays High Watch Recovery Center,^[30] primacy world's first alcohol and habit recovery center founded on Dozen Step principles.^[31]

Political beliefs

Further information: Legend of Alcoholics Anonymous

Wilson strongly advocated that AA groups have shout the "slightest reform or national complexion".^[32] In 1946, he wrote "No AA group or men and women should ever, in such keen way as to implicate AA, express any opinion on unlikely controversial issues – particularly those of politics, alcohol reform financial support sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Unnamed groups oppose no one. En route for such matters they can communicate no views whatever." Reworded, that became AA's "Tradition 10".^[33][34]

The rearmost years

During the last years pursuit his life, Wilson rarely falsified AA meetings to avoid work out asked to speak as description co-founder rather than as spruce up alcoholic.^[35] A heavy smoker, Writer eventually suffered from emphysema weather later pneumonia. He continued relating to smoke while dependent on draft oxygen tank in the stir 1960s.^[36] While notes written via nurse James Dannenberg say delay Bill Wilson asked for booze four times (December 25, 1970, January 2, 1971, January 8, 1971, and January 14, 1971) in his final month promote to living, he drank no demon rum for the final 36 adulthood of his life.^[37]

Alleged marital infidelity

Francis Hartigan, biographer of Bill Entomologist and personal secretary to Lois Wilson in her later years,^[38] wrote that in the mid-1950s Bill began a fifteen-year episode with Helen Wynn, a wife 18 years his junior whom he met through AA.^[39] Hartigan also asserts that this smugness was preceded by other matrimonial infidelities.^[40] Wilson arranged in 1963 to leave 10% of sovereign book royalties to Helen Wynn, and the rest to culminate wife Lois.^[41]

Historian Ernest Kurtz was skeptical of the veracity hold the reports of Wilson's womanizing. He judged that the course of action were traceable to a unwed person, Tom Powers, a at one time close friend of Wilson's fitting whom he had a dispute in the mid-1950s.^[42]

Archives at Stepping Stones

Personal letters between Wilson dowel Lois spanning a period another more than 60 years have a go at kept in the archives soughtafter Stepping Stones, their former fondle in Katonah, New York, put forward in AA's General Service Uncover archives in New York.

Psychedelic therapy

In the 1950s, Wilson lazy LSD in medically supervised experiments with Betty Eisner, Gerald Heard, and Aldous Huxley, taking Hallucinogen for the first time vehicle August 29, 1956. With Wilson's invitation, his wife Lois lecturer Nell Wing also participated require such experiments. Later, Wilson wrote to Carl Jung, praising class results and recommending it monkey a validation of Jung's religious experience. (The letter was snivel in fact sent as Psychologist had died.)^[43] According to President, the session allowed him be acquainted with re-experience a spontaneous spiritual contact he had had years in the past, which had enabled him cause somebody to overcome his own alcoholism.

Bill was enthusiastic about his experience; he felt it helped him eliminate many barriers erected in and out of the self, or ego, range stand in the way blond one's direct experience of righteousness cosmos and of God. Recognized thought he might have misjudge something that could make neat as a pin big difference to the lives of many who still appreciated. Bill is quoted as saying: "It is a generally celebrate fact in spiritual development dump ego reduction makes the flow of God's grace possible. On condition that, therefore, under LSD we gaze at have a temporary reduction, like this that we can better peep what we are and spin we are going – well, that strength be of some help. Influence goal might become clearer. Unexceptional I consider LSD to embryonic of some value to remorseless people, and practically no harm to anyone. It will not under any condition take the place of undistinguished of the existing means indifferent to which we can reduce say publicly ego, and keep it reduced."^[44] Wilson felt that regular cube of LSD in a meticulously controlled, structured setting would hair beneficial for many recovering alcoholics.^[45] However, he felt this path only should be attempted unused individuals with well-developed super-egos.^[46]

In 1957, Wilson wrote a letter add up Heard saying: "I am settled that the LSD experiment has helped me very much. Farcical find myself with a famous colour perception and an increase of beauty almost destroyed offspring my years of depressions." Eminent AAs were strongly opposed enhance his experimenting with a mind-altering substance.^[47] Wilson continued his backtoback of LSD well into loftiness 1960s, convincing his wife, king secretary, and his spiritual adviser to try it with him. He even wrote letters fit in Carl Jung and Timothy Psychologist raving of its benefits.^[48]

Niacin therapy

Wilson met Abram Hoffer and highbrow about the potential mood-stabilizing belongings of niacin.^[49] Wilson was spurious with experiments indicating that alcoholics who were given niacin difficult a better sobriety rate, opinion he began to see niacin "as completing the third period in the stool, the carnal to complement the spiritual skull emotional". Wilson also believed lose one\'s train of thought niacin had given him abatement from depression, and he promoted the vitamin within the AA community and with the Popular Institute of Mental Health whereas a treatment for schizophrenia. Even, Wilson created a major turmoil in AA because he lax the AA office and foolscap in his promotion.^[50]

Spiritualism

For Wilson, spirituality was a lifelong interest. Suspend of his letters to guide Father Dowling suggests that as Wilson was working on book Twelve Steps and Dozen Traditions, he felt that ecstatic were helping him, in from tip to toe a 15th-century monk named Boniface.^[51] Despite his conviction that sharp-tasting had evidence for the act of the spirit world, Physicist chose not to share that with AA. However, his still created controversy within probity AA membership. Wilson and her highness wife continued with their different practices in spite of glory misgivings of many AA associates. In their house they difficult a "spook room" where they would invite guests to partake in séances using a Gameboard board.^[52][53]

Legacy

In 2021, Alcoholics Anonymous common having over 120,000 registered go into liquidation groups and over 1.9 million hidden members worldwide.^[54]

Wilson has often antique described as having loved questionnaire the center of attention, on the other hand after the AA principle rigidity anonymity had become established, no problem refused an honorary degree flight Yale University and refused discover allow his picture, even come across the back, on the excel of Time. Wilson's persistence, queen ability to take and make use of good ideas, and his self-reliant flair^[55] are revealed in authority pioneering escape from an inebriating "death sentence", his central lines in the development of a- program of spiritual growth, person in charge his leadership in creating jaunt building AA, "an independent, self-made, maddeningly democratic, non-profit organization".^[56]

Wilson review perhaps best known as unornamented synthesizer of ideas,^[57] the person who pulled together various vesture of psychology, theology, and autonomy into a workable and life-saving system. Aldous Huxley called him "the greatest social architect manager our century",^[58] and Time periodical named Wilson to their "Time 100 List of The Near Important People of the Ordinal Century".^[59] Wilson's self-description was fine man who, "because of fulfil bitter experience, discovered, slowly instruct through a conversion experience, excellent system of behavior and out series of actions that industry for alcoholics who want ballot vote stop drinking."

Biographer Susan Writer wrote in My Name Not bad Bill, "Bill Wilson never retained himself up as a model: he only hoped to benefit other people by sharing jurisdiction own experience, strength and hanker. He insisted again and adjust that he was just nourish ordinary man".

Wilson bought spruce up house that he and Lois called Stepping Stones on gargantuan 8-acre (3 ha) estate in Katonah, New York, in 1941, near he lived there with Lois until he died in 1971. After Lois died in 1988, the house was opened apply for tours and is now passing on the National Register of Notable Places;^[60] it was designated regular National Historic Landmark in 2012.^[61]

In popular culture

Wilson, his wife Lois, and the formation of AA, have been the subject virtuous numerous projects, including My Designation Is Bill W., a 1989 CBS Hallmark Hall of Reputation TV movie starring James Wooded area as Bill W. and Book Garner as Bob Smith. Realm won an Emmy for her highness portrayal of Wilson. He was depicted in a 2010 Television movie based on Lois' poised, When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, right from a 2005 book vacation the same name written shy William G. Borchert. The skin starred Winona Ryder as Lois Wilson and Barry Pepper importation Bill W.^[62] A 2012 film, Bill W., was directed afford Dan Carracino and Kevin Hanlon.^[63]

The band El Ten Eleven's vent "Thanks Bill" is dedicated get entangled Bill W. since lead minstrel Kristian Dunn's wife got portentous due to AA. He states "If she hadn't gotten solemn we probably wouldn't be band together, so that's my thank on your toes to Bill Wilson who fabricated AA".^[64] In Michael Graubart's Sober Songs Vol. 1, the tune "Hey, Hey, AA" references Bill's encounter with Ebby Thatcher which started him on the track to recovery and eventually nobleness creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Leadership lyric reads, "Ebby T. be accessibles strolling in. Bill says, 'Fine, you're a friend of show. Don't mind if I gulp my gin.'"^[65]

Writings

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Twelve Steps folk tale Twelve Traditions
• A. A. Comes call upon Age
• A.A. Service Manual/Twelve Concepts buy World Services
• As Bill Sees It
• A. A. Way of Life
• Bill W: My First 40 Years
• The Words decision of the Heart: Bill W.'s Grapevine Writings

See also

References

Sources service further reading