Some predecessors of AA

A little bit of information gathered a few years back from a presentation by Nell Wing and Frank (previous Archivists in GSO).

Native American sobriety circles (c. 1750-1830)

Washingtonians: ~c 1825 - 1850

Basic purpose: to solve people's problems.

Operated for a period of approximately 25 years

Sharing by personal experience

Held public meetings

Gathered members by personal contact

Had a desire to help others

Had more than a million signatures

Were strongest about 1841-1842

Began dying out about 1846-1847

Had basic principles of love, sympathy, kindness, charity

Declined because:

They had no adequate organization

Had no guidelines (such as traditions, etc.)

Had no real direction

Work with alcoholics not required (although they did work with alcoholics to a certain extent)

Had no anonymity function

Recovery-focused Fraternal Temperance Societies (Many evolving out of the collapsing Washingtonian groups)

Emmanuel Movement: ~1908 - 1929

Took part of the ideas of Washingtonians

added the religious content

started about 1908-1909

treated people with alcohol problems and nervous disorders

used Christian principles (religious)

used physical medicine

strongly psychological

stressed total abstinence

had strong group support

existed through to about 1929

Decline: perhaps a little slower than with Washingtonians but basically from drifting from their basic ideas.

Recovery groups associated with Inebriate Homes (e.g., the Appleton Temperance Society) (1860-1900)

Recovery groups associated with Inebriate Asylums (e.g., the Ollapod Club) (1860-1900)

Recovery groups associated with private, Addiction Cure Institutes (e.g., the Keeley Leagues) (1860-1900)

Ribbon Reform Clubs (Purple, Blue, Red) (1870-1900)

*Moderation Societies (e.g., The Businessmen's Moderation Society) (1870-1900)

* Mission Recovery Groups (Boozers' Brigade, United Order of Ex-Boozers) (1870 - 1915)

The Drunkard's Club (1870s)

The Harlem Club of Former Alcoholic Degenerates (1898-?) (Probably fictional as no information extant)

Edward Worster-somewhere about 1910

Another man by the name of Baylor at approximately same time.

Jacoby Club-1909

tried to help alcoholics

stressed being honest

regular meetings

members contribute regularly

work on rehabilitation

self help

much of problem to be blamed on spouse

spiritual and psychological help

still operated in Boston in 1940's

much work of the club performed by salaried people

after 1940's concentrated on helping people with other than alcohol problems.

Oxford Groups-1921-Frank Buchman, ordained Lutheran minister 1908:

first-century Christian Fellowship began to be known as Oxford Group

bible study

1200 students

world changing by personal soul changing

1928 in South Africa:

500,000 copies of Oxford Book printed

1930: Sam Schumacher became involved with Oxford Groups

1931 Roland Hazard got sober, began working with Sam Schumacher at Calvary Mission, subsequently carried the message to Ebby Thatcher, who carried the message to Bill Wilson

The rest is AA history.

Richard Peabody, Peabody Movement-1930's wrote a book called "Common Sense Of Drinking"

stressed physical condition (medical)

surrender, deflation at depth

removal of doubts and anxieties

control of thoughts

control of will power

self-expression

William James (Varieties of Religious Experience) Gained much of his knowledge and experience from his students

aware of the religious conversion experience in many people

added the importance of psychology

stressed personal contact with God

talked about fears, moral ideals, remorse

Along the way other people got into the act with some of the same basic ideas and some good principles but fell apart for a variety of reasons-generally from getting away from their basic principles.