AA: Common Goals and Means

Healing the Alcoholic: The Creator, A.A., Believers, and
Richard Peabody’s Erroneous, “No-Cure” Hypothesis

Dick B.

© 2008 by Anonymous. All rights reserved

The Original Views and Statements of A.A. Founders and Pioneers
about Cure of Alcoholism

Bill Wilson stated plainly enough: “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”[1]

Dr. Robert H. Smith (Dr. Bob) stated plainly enough: “But this was a man [Bill Wilson] who had experienced many years of frightful drinking, who had had most all the drunkard’s experiences known to man, but who had been cured by the very means I had been trying to employ, that is to say the spiritual approach.”[2] “One day Dr. Bob said to me, ‘Don’t you think we’d better scare up some drunks to work on?’ He phoned the nurse in charge of admissions at Akron City Hospital and told her how he and another drunk from New York had a cure for alcoholism.”[3]

A.A. Number Three, attorney Bill Dotson, echoed Bill Wilson’s cure statement, and stated very plainly: “That sentence, ‘The Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep telling people about it,’ has been a sort of golden text for the A.A. program and for me.”[4]

Reporting to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., on his investigation of Akron cures, A.A. trustee-to-be Frank Amos set forth these facts: “Dr. Howard S---, general practitioner at Cuyahoga Falls, aged about 35. S---had been an alcoholic and had been cured by Smith and his friends’ activities and the Christian technique prescribed.”[5] “Alcoholics who were reasonably normal mentally and in other ways, and who genuinely wanted to be cured of their alcoholism, were the type with whom they had achieved their great success. On the other hand, alcoholics who were mentally defective, or who were definitely psychopathic, had proven very difficult problems, and so far, the percentage of cures had been very low in these cases.”[6]

The recent biography of Bill Wilson’s physician William D. Silkworth, M.D. shows the heart of early A.A. reliance on God. The author states: “Silkworth has not been given the appropriate credit for his position on a spiritual conversion, particularly as it may relate to true Christian benefits. . . . [I]t was Dr. Silkworth who used the term “The Great Physician” to explain the need in recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ. . . . In the formation of AA, Wilson initially insisted on references to God and Jesus, as well as the Great Physician. . . . Silkworth, a medical doctor, challenged the alcoholic with a spiritual conversion and a relationship with God as part of a program of recovery. His approach with Bill Wilson was no different.”[7]

Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Believed reliance on the Creator was a Necessity

Bill Wilson: Note these telling statements about Bill Wilson’s decision for Christ and the importance of turning to God for help: (1) During his third visit to Towns Hospital, Bill had a discussion with Dr. Silkworth on the subject of the “Great Physician.” In fact, Bill Wilson himself wrote that he had thought about this discussion before he decided to check himself into Towns for the last time, at the urging of his wife and his brother-in-law.[8] (2) In his autobiography, Wilson wrote: “I remember saying to myself, ‘I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I’ll call on him.”[9] (3) Before his final trip to Towns Hospital, Bill—like his friend Ebby Thacher—had gone to the altar at Calvary Rescue Mission and made a decision for Christ (He said Ebby had told him that he “had done all right an had given my life to God”[10]) and wrote of his later conversion experience at Towns, “For sure I’d been born again.”[11] (4) Then, at Towns Hospital, Bill cried out, “If there be a God, let him show himself.” He wrote: “The effect was instant, electric. Suddenly my room blazed with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. . . . I became acutely conscious of a presence which seemed like a veritable sea of living spirit. . . This (I thought) must be the great reality. The God of the Preachers. . . . I thanked my God who had given me a glimpse of His absolute Self. . . . this great and sudden gift of grace has always been mine.”[12] (5) Dr. Silkworth informed Bill: “You have had some kind of conversion experience.”[13] (6) Bill commented: “God comes to most men gradually, but His impact on me was sudden and profound.”[14] (7) In a conversion experience seemingly identical to that of Bill’s grandfather Willie in East Dorset, Bill—like his grandfather Willie—was cured and never drank again.[15]

Dr. Bob Smith: Struck with no “white light” conversion experience, Dr. Bob had been converted years before as a youngster in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. To overcome his alcoholism, he joined a tiny group on the carpet of the home of T. Henry Williams in Akron, and prayed for deliverance. The miraculous cure came in the unexpected visit, call, and presence of Bill Wilson at Henrietta Seiberling’s Gate Lodge where the two men met, exchanged stories, and soon were on their way to founding Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron on June 10, 1935. Dr. Bob did not pussyfoot about God or the cure. At City Hospital, newcomer alcoholics were insistently asked the primary question: “Do you believe in God?” And there was only one acceptable answer. Later, they were taken upstairs in a private prayer ceremony where, with several “elders” praying over them, they knelt, made a decision for Christ, asked God to take alcohol out of their life, and prayed for the strength and guidance to live according to cardinal Christian principles. And, of the original pioneers who went to any lengths to establish and maintain their relationship and fellowship with God, fifty percent were permanently cured. Again, Dr. Bob was clear about the reason. He wrote: “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!”[16]

Their Spiritual Solution versus the “Scientific” Surveys: Often a critic (and even one critical of Alcoholics Anonymous) unearths and reveals important ideas that others have ignored. For example, Michael Lemanski wrote:

The American temperance movement and the prohibition period which it helped to bring about had indeed created a vacuum within the medical community as regards addiction treatment. Alcoholics Anonymous came into being at a time when modern methods of medical therapy, clinical psychology, clinical sociology, and professional counseling were virtually nonexistent in the field. AA, through default, filled this near vacuum.

The near vacuum, however, was just that—a near vacuum, not a total vacuum. . . . [T]here were organizations which did deal with alcoholics at the time AA came about: the Salvation Army and the Emanuel Movement.

While it is doubtful that either Bill Wilson or Dr. Bob knew of the Emanuel Movement, they might have been aware of the Salvation Army’s work, so it appears peculiar that they apparently made no attempt to research such approaches. But this only appears to be peculiar. Bill Wilson had quite literally “seen the light.” His vision of recovery from alcoholism embraced one thing and one thing only: religious conversion.

To Wilson, research wasn’t necessary; religion was The Answer. And when one has The Answer, research and questioning are obstacles, not aids. The problem is not finding new, better approaches, but rather putting an end to questions so that The Answer can be adopted without opposition.

To Wilson and Smith, recovery was a matter of faith, not a matter of research and hard evidence. . . . AA’s co-founders viewed hospitals, doctors, and psychiatrists as ineffective in dealing with alcoholism. This seems ironic given that one of them (Smith) was an MD, but he, like Wilson, believed that the only cure for alcoholism was through God; and he used hospitalization of alcoholism patients not for medical treatment, but rather so that they could be isolated and indoctrinated into the Oxford Group Movement/AA beliefs.[17]

Like so many, who today are writing in the medical, psychiatric, psychology, sociology, and counseling arena, Lemanski gave short shrift to God. To talk about God’s help, strength, guidance, and miraculous healings is deemed “unscientific,” incapable of being measured, tested, repeated, and scientifically conducted. So say the atheists, humanists, and unbelieving scientists and researchers. Yet A.A. critic Lemanski touches one area of truth: He quite correctly observes that, in the beginning, Wilson and Smith believed that conversion was the solution to alcoholism. They touted reliance on God. And their spiritual program produced the results that astonished medical and religious figures alike. Perhaps Bill summarized the situation aptly when he wrote:

What is this but a miracle of healing? Yet its elements are simple. Circumstances made him willing to believe. He humbly offered himself to his Maker—then he knew. Even so has God restored us all to our right minds. . . . When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us![18]

In today’s age of secularism, idolatry, and hostility to religion, the faith cure challenge is having a hard time. This hardly refutes A.A.’s original beliefs and successes; it simply reflects a desire to look to everything, seek everything, and rely on anything, but God.

Not so with Bill Wilson’s psychiatrist at Towns Hospital—William D. Silkworth, M.D.

Silkworth’s biographer Dale Mitchel has recently unearthed the following important facts about Dr. Silkworth, his Christian affiliations, his belief in the healing power of Jesus Christ, and Silkworth’s conveying these ideas to Bill Wilson:

During his third visit to Towns Hospital, Bill had a discussion with Dr. Silkworth on the subject of the “Great Physician” [Jesus Christ]. . . . In fact, Bill himself wrote that he had thought about this discussion before he decided to check himself into Towns for the last time, at the urging of his brother-in-law. . . . Wilson wrote: “Alcoholism took longer to kill, but the result was the same. Yes, if there was any Great Physician that could cure the alcohol sickness, I’d better find him now, at once.[19]

Just prior to his experience with “the veritable sea of living spirit” Wilson often later talked about, he chastised God and said to himself, “I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I’ll call on him!” again referring to his prior discussions with Silkworth. Then, according to Wilson, he cried out, “If there is a God, let him show himself.” What happened next became the turning point in Bill Wilson’s life, and the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous.[20]

It is obvious that in prior visits Silkworth had tried to explain the Great Physician to Bill without success. Eventually, in his own words, Dr. Silkworth told Bill how he had read about the successes of other spiritual transformations.[21]

Silkworth, a medical doctor, challenged the alcoholic with a spiritual conversion and a relationship with God as part of the program of recovery. His approach with Bill Wilson was no different.[22]

According to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Silkworth had also told another patient named “Charles” that the Great Physician could complete this healing. He said of Jesus, “He wants everything you’ve got, he wants all of you. Then He gives the healing. . . . His name is Jesus Christ and he keeps office in the New Testament and is available whenever you need him.

Silkworth’s biographer wrote:

Silkworth has not been given the appropriate credit for his position on a spiritual conversion, particularly as it may relate to true Christian benefits. Several sources, including Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Positive Power of Jesus Christ, agree that it was Dr. Silkworth who used the term “The Great Physician” to explain the need in recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ. . . .[23] In the formation of A.A., Wilson initially insisted on references to God and Jesus, as well as the Great Physician.[24]

In Dick B., Real Twelve Step Fellowship History (http://dickb.com/realhistory.shtml), I have summarized the early Akron A.A. requirement of a “real surrender” ceremony that confirmed acceptance of Jesus Christ as a required and essential part of the Akron recovery program:

In order to belong to the Akron fellowship, newcomers had to make a “real surrender.” This was akin to the altar call at rescue missions or the confession of Christ with other believers in churches [and revival gatherings], except that it was a very small, private ceremony which took place upstairs and away from the regular meeting. Four A.A. old-timers (Ed Andy from Lorain, Ohio; J.D. Holmes from Indiana; Clarence Snyder from Cleveland; and Larry Bauer in Akron) have all independently verified orally and in writing that the Akron surrenders required acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Those conversions took place at the regular Wednesday meeting upstairs in the manner described in James 5:15-16. Kneeling, with “elders” at his side, the newcomer accepted Christ and, with the prayer partners, asked God to take alcohol out of his life and to help, guide, and strengthen him to live by cardinal Christian teachings such as those in the Oxford Group’s Four Absolutes—Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love.
[25]


The Variety, Diversity, Multiplicity, and Frequency of
Testimonies to God’s Cure of Alcoholism

The Naysayers Should Be Few: I receive on the average of 100 communications each day from those seeking relief or who have achieved relief of their alcoholism. Among every hundred, there are one or more complaints by present-day fellowship people who seem determined to “prove” that they are permanently sick. They use terms like “only a daily reprieve;” “in recovery;” “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic;” and “there is no cure.” Importantly, they have swallowed whole hog the idea that God Almighty couldn’t possibly have cured, never has cured, and certainly never will cure an alcoholic. You can point out the hundreds and hundreds of testimonies by alcoholics, including the first three—Bill W., Dr. Bob, and Bill D.—that they were cured of alcoholism by the power of God. But they’ll respond almost at once that the Big Book says, in one place, that they can’t be cured. In so doing, they ignore the rest of the language in the Big Book that says they can. They even ignore the change in language of the Steps from “God can and will” to “God could and would if He were sought.” For some reason, they ignore the fact that the capitalized word “God”, including capitalized pronouns and Biblical descriptions of Him such as Creator, Maker, Father of lights, Father, and Spirit show the point that Bill Wilson originally intended to make. Perhaps most important of all, they just haven’t heard about the real success rates, original program, and astonishing miracles that freed the pioneers from their “terrible disease,” as Bill Wilson described it. Now we could end it there, and say that AAs disagree.

Religious leaders and clergy views on healing alcoholics by the power of God:

• Rev. Francis W. McPeek, Lecture 26, “The Role of Religious Bodies in the Treatment of Inebriety in the United States”:

This has been a brief and highly selective survey of a century’s efforts among religious people to bring the healing power of God into the lives of those who suffer from inebriety. Certain things may be held as conclusive. Towering above them all is this indisputable fact: It is faith in the living God which has accounted for more recoveries from the disease than all the other therapeutic agencies put together.[26]

• Rev. Otis R. Rice, Ph.D., Lecture 28, “Pastoral Counseling of Inebriates”:

It is from the fact that one is a miserable sinner, and the acceptance of the fact that by God’s promise one can become His son, that cures are made and that lives are made worth while.[27]

• Archibald D. Hart, Ph.D., Healing Life’s Hidden Addictions:

The only effective healing I know is the healing that takes place at the “core” of our being. Join me as we rediscover the truthfulness of Isaiah’s prophecy: that Christ “took our sicknesses, and bore our diseases,” so that we could go free (Mt 8:17 LB).[28]

• Dr. Jack Van Impe with Roger F. Campbell, Alcohol: The Beloved Enemy:

The list of former drinkers who have become total abstainers through responding to God’s love is long. Names known to thousands—like Mel Trotter, Billy Sunday, and Oscar Van Impe (my own father—come quickly to mind, but a great company of others have also testified to never drinking another drop of booze after receiving Christ as Savior.[29]

• Pastor Henry W. Wright, A More Excellent Way:

It is not that God cannot heal you, or that He doesn’t want to. The problem is that man does not understand disease. . . . My investigation over the years from the Scriptures, practical discernment, and review of scientific and medical evidence, has unearthed many spiritual roots and blocks to healing. . . . The very same principles that you can apply in your life to move the hand of God to sustain you, to heal you, and to deliver you—if you start applying them now if your life (even if you don’t have a disease)—may keep you from getting that disease in your lifetime. . . . God and I have taken the word incurable and done this to it: When you say you are incurable, you have made the devil greater than God. As a minister, I cannot bring myself to say that. I believe all things re possible. . . . I consider all healing of spiritually rooted disease to be a factor of sanctification. I believe that all disease that has a spiritual result is a lack of sanctification in our lives s men and women of God. I believe all healing of disease and/or prevention is the process of being re-sanctified. . . . The 8 R’s to Freedom: Pathway to Wholeness and Freedom—Recognize, Responsibility, Repent, Renounce, Remove, Resist, Rejoice, Restore (help someone else get free).[30]

• Rev. John Osteen, L.L.D., D.D., How to flow in the Super Supernatural:

So I rented an auditorium and decided to have a meeting. I had lots of enthusiasm. Hundreds of people came. I told them that I had a Baptist background, but now I was filled with the Holy Ghost. . . . I told them I had the power to cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and see them healed (See Mark 16:17-18). I told them that they would see miracles in Jesus’ name. People lined up for prayer. There was such a long line. I as amazed! I was astonished! People had believed the Word of God that I had preached! . . . . In that meeting, we saw miracles of God, such mighty demonstrations of salvation, divine healing and deliverance. It was a marvelous thing to behold as Jesus met the needs of the people.[31]

• Rev. Howard Clinebell, Ph. D., Understanding and Counseling Persons with Alcohol, Drug, and Behavioral Addictions:

There is no area of human suffering in which healthy religion has given a more convincing demonstrating of its healing, growth-nurturing power than in problems of addiction. For much of the twentieth century it has been recognized that authentic spirituality offers hopeful resources for dealing with addictions. In his classic sermons on temperance published in 1827, Lyman Beecher made it clear that some sort of religious experience was the best hope for the alcoholic. . . . I invite you to let your mind and spirit be lifted by these other hopeful developments in the addiction pandemic scene: . . . . The awareness that the century-spanning, healing wisdom of our Hebrew and Christian traditions are priceless resources for preventing and healing addictions today. Many centuries before Christ lived, the Hebrew psalmist expressed feelings with which many recovering addicts can identify: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:2-5).[32]

For the many others in the religious field who share the view that alcoholism can be cured by the power of God, see the following authors and titles detailed in my specified books, which contain complete bibliographical information on the subjects, authors, and materials included:

• Dick B., God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity in the 21st Century (http://dickb.com/Godandalcoholism.shtml)—as to: (1) The Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, (2) ordained Baptist pastor Jerry G. Dunn, (3) Episcopal layman James Moore Hickson, (4) Evangelist Ethel R. Willitts, (5) Glenn Clark, (4) Mary Baker Eddy, (5) Emmet Fox, (6) Frank Laubach, (7) Charles Laymon, (8) E.W. Kenyon, (9) Martin M. Davis, (10) Loren Cunningham, (11) Edward E. Decker, Jr.

• Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured and Why (http://dickb.com/alcoholismcured.shtml)--as to (1) Dr. Herbert Lockyer and All the Miracles of the Bible: The Supernatural in Scripture Its Scope and Significance, (2) Morton T. Kelsey, Psychology, Medicine & Christian Healing, (3) George Gordon Dawson, Healing: Pagan and Christian, (4) Alan Richardson, The Miracle Stories of the Gospels, (5) Elwood Worcester and Samuel McComb, The Christian Religion as a Healing Power, (6) G. R. H. Shafto, The Wonders of the Kingdom: A Study of the Miracles of Jesus, (7) Pearcy Dearmer, Body and Soul: An Enquiry into the Effects of Religion , Health, with a Description of Christian Works of Healing From the New Testament to the Present Day, (8) Leslie D. Weatherhead, Psychology, Religion and Healing, (9) Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith, (10) E. R. Micklem, Miracles & The New Psychology: A Study in the Healing Miracles of the New Testament, (11) New Bible Dictionary, (12) John G. Lake, The Complete Collection of His Teachings. (13) F. W. Puller, The Anointing of the Sick in Scripture and Tradition, with some Considerations on the Numbering of the Sacraments, (14) Evelyn Frost, Christian Healing: A Consideration of the Place of Spiritual Healing in the Church Today in Light of the Doctrine and Practice of the Ante Nicene Church (15) Roberts Lairdon, God’s Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why They Failed, (16) A. J. Pridie, The Church’s Ministry of Healing, (17) T. L. Osborn, Healing the Sick, (18) Smith Wigglesworth, Smith Wigglesworth on Healing, (19) Jim Wilson, Healing Through the Power of Christ, (20) Novel Hayes, The Healing Handbook.

• Dick B., The James Club and The Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials (http://dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml)--as to: (1) James 5:16, (2) F. W. Puller, Anointing of the Sick, (3) J. R. Pridie, The Church’s Ministry of Healing, (4) the followers of Clarence and Grace Snyder in A.A.

• Dick B., The First Nationwide Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference (http://dickb.com/1stAAHistConf.shtml)--as to: (1) Reports by AAs of cures, (2) Miraculous healings long before Christ, (3) Miracles in the Gospels, (4) Miracles in the Book of Acts in Apostolic times. (5) Accomplishments of miracles by early Christians after apostolic times and in early centuries, (6) Healing ministry by individuals from 1091 forward to the late 1800’s, (7) The hypothesis that the First Century ended miracles, and the lack of Biblical authority for the proposition. (8) The successes of the Christian Missions and Evangelists—Jerry McCauley, Samuel Hadley, Hadley’s son, the Salvation Army, the Keswick Colony of Mercy, reports by James Moore Hickson, Ethel R. Willits, John Millard, Evelyn Frost, William Temple, Leslie D. Weatherhead, (9) The many titles on healing and prayer that were studies and circulated by Dr. Bob among the A.A. pioneers—Glenn Clark, Starr Daily, Lewis L. Dunnington, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles and Cora Fillmore, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Emmet Fox, Gerald Heard, E. Stanley Jones, Frank Laubach, Charles Laymon, Rufus Mosley, William Parker, F.L. Rawson, Samuel M. Shoemaker, B. H. Streeter, L.W. Grensted, Howard Rose, Cecil Rose, St. Augustine, Brother Lawrence, Mary Tileston, Oswald Chambers, T. R. Glover, E. Herman, Donald Carruthers, and Nora Smith Holm.

• Dick B., Cured, Proven Help for Alcoholics and Addicts (http://dickb.com/cured.shtml)--as to the complete story and references to specific hundreds and hundreds of alcoholics who were cured by the power of God and said so.

• Dick B., Making Known the Biblical History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous: A Sixteen-Year Research, Writing, Publishing, and Fact-Dissemination Project (http://dickb.com/makingknown.shtml) –as to a complete bibliography of the hundreds of books and other materials collected by Dick B., most of which have been donated to the Griffith Library at the Wilson House in East Dorset, Vermont; some of which have been lodged in the new Dr. Bob Core Library at the North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, Vermont; some of which have been lodged at Dr. Bob’s last church St. Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church in Akron; and all of the Rev. Sam Shoemaker books and papers have been lodged in Shoemaker’s Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh.

• Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library: A Major A.A. Spiritual Source (http://dickb.com/drbob.shtml) –as to the larger number of prayer, healing, devotional, and Christian materials found by Dick B. among those circulated by Dr. Bob among early AAs and their families, some of which were donated by Dr. Bob’s son to Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron, some of which were sold by Dr. Bob’s daughter to Brown University; and others have been mentioned in various memoranda, A.A. books, and other sources.

Snippets from some hands-on people in the alcoholism field who stand for God’s cures

• Thomas E. Powers, Invitation to a Great Experiment: Exploring the Possibility That God Can Be Known:

I was doing very well in the advertising business. But at the same time I was suffering from a mentally and physically crippling illness which the doctors at last pronounced incurable. . . . Much against the grain of my whole outlook at that time, I was persuaded to seek help in the area of “spiritual experience.” . . . It worked. The disease was arrested and eventually relieved. . . . Just on the basis of facts in which I was profoundly involved, I had to drop my prejudices against God and the great cultural and psychological traditions ascending to God. There is no possibility of describing either the joy or the difficulties that came into my life when I saw that God is real and when and when I began to come into actual touch with that Reality.

• John Burns et. al., The Answer To Addiction: The Path to Recovery from Alcohol Drug Food & Sexual Dependencies:

Let there be no ambiguity as to what is being said here. The Answer to addiction—that which cures the disease and releases the prisoner where nothing else can—is the grace of God. It is the truth of God, the power of God, the Spirit of God. If you want a one-word equivalent, the Answer is God. . . . not the God of sectarians and the bigots, not the God of the academically certified, not the God of the philosophers or of the wise but the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob—very God of the very God pouring himself unmistakably into human affairs, God as living, communicable, holy power, intervening in a specific manner, with specific principles and a specific teaching, to provide a specific way of life as a solution of a specific human problem which was going beyond all bounds, e.g. the problem of addiction.[33]

The question has long been debated whether the freedom from alcohol addiction which occurs for example in Alcoholics Anonymous is really a cure, since the person must abstain from alcohol in order to maintain his recovery, and whether such an event had not better be called an “arrest” of the disease. The view of your present authors is that cure is a perfectly good word for what happens to anyone who is successful in A.A. If a man who once had stomach ulcers is now totally free of them, and free from all signs and symptoms of them, but has to abstain from pepper and vinegar in order to stay well, we say that that man has been cured of his stomach ulcers, and that the recovered alcohol addict is in exactly the same case.[34]

• Jared C. Lobdell, This Strange Illness: Alcoholism and Bill W.:

The early A.A. meetings were conceived of as meetings for worship, not entirely unlike meetings at the Calvary Mission, or at Jerry McAuley’s Mission fifty or sixty years before. It must be made clear that none of this means that a member of Alcoholics Anonymous must accept this theology in order to benefit from the meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. There is anecdotal evidence that members have selected as their “Higher Power” a doorknob (because it opened the door to sobriety?), a dead chicken, a tree, their sponsors (we’ll get to what that means later on), and more reasonably, I would think—the A.A. group. One member with more than twenty years’ sobriety is reported to have spoken of his “Higher Power” as Charley. Substitutions of this sort for God (except the substitution of a believing group) are, of course, theological nonsense—or are they?[35]

But the model presented here makes theological sense of what goes on—especially both the liturgical and the ritual reading (they are not the same)—in a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well (I think) as making sense of the program generally. And since the cofounders (and their colleagues) believed that belief in God was a necessary ground for the program—in fact, that God was a necessary ground for the program—and that the Twelve Steps were spiritual exercises, an acceptable theology (beyond a kind of “not-God” psychology) would seem to be a good idea.[36]

• Joan Hunter, Overcoming Betrayal in Your Life: Healing the Heart:

By morning he seemed to forget everything; and I wasn’t about to start a conversation about what had happened the night before. Fear and frustration had me cornered. Then, we got saved, he got healed, and we made a total commitment to God. I was ecstatic. He stopped drinking and God worked through him in marvelous ways.[37]

• Dwight Anderson with Page Cooper, The Other Side of the Bottle:

Sam Leake, the one-man Alcoholics Anonymous was, before his “conversion” one of the most conspicuous of San Francisco’s public figures. . . When disintegration set it, he fought it with his usual intensity; he tried will power, pledges, religion, hypnotism, everything he heard of, but still he kept on drinking, until he looked like an old man, stooped, his legs shriveled to poles, his eyes half blind. Then something happened to Sam Leake. At the moment when he was ripe for a conversion he fell into the hands of a sympathetic Christian Science practitioner, who was able to penetrate his wall of isolation. She did not induce him to sign a pledge, but she promised him that he would be free of his liquor habit as well as the sedatives he was taking in abnormal quantities to sleep. “Leave him alone,” she said to his urgent friends, “I do not care if he swims home in whisky every night. He will be free.” One morning, after he had gone to sleep on his bedtime quart of whisky, he raised his hand to ring for the usual cocktail when he suddenly realized that he had no desire for whiskey. . . . “I am through with alcohol forever,” he told his family. . . I couldn’t touch a drop of whisky if I tried.” . . . . But make no mistake,” he said, “the battle was not won by superb will power of Sam Leake. I didn’t leave drunkenness; drunkenness left me.” So Sam Leake was “cured,” as flamboyantly as he was wrecked, but the cure stuck. . . but from that day he began to work with alcoholics on his own. . . . Sam believed that there was nothing one could do for an alcoholic until he was ripe, until he hit the depths and said, “For God’s sake, help me.” Then it was “as simple as falling off a log. In the summer of 1913 Sam Leake wrote his story for the San Francisco Bulletin. He had set up an office and was devoting himself to lay therapy for alcoholics.[38]

The Curious Change from Cure to No-Cure

Before A.A. began, alcoholics were pronounced to be “medically incurable.” The reason is not hard to figure out. Medicine wasn’t curing alcoholics. Nor was psychiatry. Nor were the lay therapists. At least, in no appreciable number, compared to the millions who suffer.

Then alcoholics who joined Alcoholics Anonymous, who went to any lengths to follow the path laid out by the Akron pioneers, were cured. Cured by the power of God. Their founders said so. They said so. The proposed cover for their new book announced their pathway to a cure. Magazine and newspaper articles announced the cure. Alcoholics across the country, by the hundreds, were cured and telling news reporters they were cured. And their spiritual mentors had no problem explaining the reason why. In fact, a verse from the Bible was commonly quoted as the formula involved:

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 (Hebrews 11:6, KJV).

Translated, Pascal had written God either is, or He isn’t. Rev. Sam Shoemaker wrote to the same effect. And Bill Wilson incorporated the statement in his Big Book. So the problem was not the existence or non-existence of God. It was not about belief or unbelief. It was not even whether God “could or would” heal the alcoholic. Bill Wilson said that he did!

So, alcoholism was curable, could be cured, and had been cured—by the power of God.

Then came a curious change. Bill Wilson and his wife Lois Wilson had both read The Common Sense of Drinking, written by a lay therapist Richard Rogers Peabody. Peabody had his book published by Little Brown in 1931. Reportedly, he was the first to state there was no cure for alcoholism. Peabody had been a student in the Emanuel Movement, named for Boston’s Emmanuel Church where clergy and lay practitioners reported success in treating alcoholics. Peabody treated alcoholics though he was neither a medical professional nor a psychologist. Most who have investigated his life believe that alcoholism led to his own early death at the age of 44. According to one scholar “did not attempt to imitate the particular techniques of a psychiatrist, but he systematically eliminated from his terminology and concepts anything that hinted of the church and ‘feather-decorated, painted medicine men.’” Peabody used several important ideas he had learned—surrender, relaxation, suggestion and catharsis.” The scholar said “a few [of his patients] remained abstinent and professionally active in the field of alcoholism. Others who failed at the Peabody method were known to have joined A.A. in its early years. . . . The fact that several of the Peabody method’s major practitioners—apparently including the founder [Peabody] were not able to maintain their sobriety, however, does not bode well for other patients with whom contact was lost. . . . Writing in 1930, Peabody had abandoned the spiritual language and concepts altogether. . . . Peabody and his coworkers apparently did not share Baylor’s personal success at remaining sober. A common opinion is that Peabody died intoxicated, although the evidence is not conclusive. Samuel Crocker, who had once shared an office with Peabody, told Faye R. that he was intoxicated at the time of his death. According to the scholar “The personal copy of Peabody’s book belonging to Bill Wilson (one of the founders of A.A.) now in the A.A. Archives, contains the following inscription, “Dr. Peabody was as far as is known the first authority to state, “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic,” and he provided it by returning to drinking and by dying of alcoholism—proving to us that the condition is uncurable.”[39]

And so, stemming from that flimsy “proof” that alcoholism is uncurable, Wilson apparently contradicted his own story that the Lord had cured him, and inserted in his 1939 Big Book that there is no cure for alcoholism. Repeating Peabody’s words, he wrote “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” And the fate of today’s A.A. alcoholic was sealed. He had gone from medically incurable to cured by the power of God and then to incurable—as established by the lay therapist who had disdain for God, focused on relaxation therapy, and then—by most accounts—died drunk.

The result? A good example of how far today’s publishing arm has taken the reformation can be found in this language:

A Newcomer asks:
Is A.A. a religious organization? No. Nor is it allied with any religious
organization. . . . There’s a lot of talk about God, though, isn’t there? The majority of A.A. members believe that we have found the solution to our drinking problem, not through individual willpower, but through a power greater than ourselves. However, everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the A.A. group, still others don’t believe in it at all. There is room in A.A. for people of all shades of belief and nonbelief.[40]

This is AA. . . An Introduction to the AA Recovery Program:
Alcoholism—an illness. Today we are willing to accept the idea that, as far as we
are concerned, alcoholism is an illness which can never be “cured,” but which, like some other illnesses, can be arrested. . . . So far as we know, there can never be any turning back to “normal” social drinking. “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic” I a simple fact we have to live with.”. . . . ‘Twelve Steps’ . . . . We discovered that a key factor in this progress seemed to be humility, coupled with reliance upon a Power greater than ourselves. While some members prefer to call this Power “God,” we were told that this was purely a matter of personal interpretation; we were told that this was purely a matter of personal interpretation; we could conceive of the Power in any terms we thought fit.[41]

So, Where Do You Stand!

A.A.’s venerable Clarence H. Snyder was well-known for his statement:

If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for almost anything.

Here’s a statement of where I stand:

I believe in God.

I believe anyone in A.A. can believe in God.

I believe God can cure an alcoholic of his “illness.”

I believe that, in today’s A.A., members can believe or not believe in God, pray or
not pray, become children of the one true living Creator by handing their lives over to Christ or not, obey God’s commandments and change their lives to conform to His will or not, grow in fellowship with Him or not, and carry a message to the newcomer that God has done for the messenger what he could not do for himself or not.

I choose to use the language of A.A.’s founders: Your Heavenly Father will never
let you down! God can and will relieve you of your alcoholism if you seek Him diligently. I have the duty and privilege of helping any still suffering alcoholic to establish a relationship with God if he wishes to do so.

I cannot imagine ever carrying a message that there is no cure for alcoholism, that a newcomer can somehow be healed by a chicken or a chair or Charley, or that the courts are uninformed when they continue to rule that A.A. is a religion—the kind of religion is of no matter at all until and unless A.A. just eliminates God from its permissible program.

I find great wisdom for myself in the statement of James Houck of Maryland who was, at the time of his recent demise, about 100 years old and the AA with the longest period of sobriety (since 1934). Jim wrote, as he endorsed one of my books: “If you take God out of A.A., you have nothing.”

And that’s where I choose to stand.

So, where do you stand!

Gloria Deo

Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837; dickb@dickb.com; 808 874 4876; www.dickb.com

August 2008 Recovery Highlights for St. Johnsbury

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Dick B.; dickb@dickb.com; (808) 874 4876; www.DickB.com


• August 2008 Inspirations for Spiritual Recovery from Alcoholism/Addictions at St. Johnsbury, Vermont. A precursor to the national recovery month in September.

August 8, 1879: Birth on Summer Street of Robert Holbrook Smith (A.A.’s cofounder Dr. Bob).

August 9, 2008: St. Johnsbury Summerfest and new St. Johnsbury Historic Walking Tour including:

Dr. Bob’s birthplace on Summer Street

Dr. Bob’s family church, North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury, on Main Street--with the new Dr. Bob Core Library in the North Congregational Church

August 12, 2008: Senator Leahy will cut the ribbon for the newly-renovated Welcome Center

• What Is Available in St. Johnsbury for the Recovery Community as Recovery Month Approaches

A New Book about Dr. Bob and St. Johnsbury: Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book as a Youngster in Vermont by Dick B. and Ken B.

An Earlier Book: Dr. Bob and His Library: A Major Spiritual Source by Dick B.

Free copies given to the earliest visitors at the Dr. Bob Core Library, North Congregational Church

Free access to early A.A. spiritual history and roots in Vermont: books and other historically-important materials are available at the Dr. Bob Core Library at North Congregational Church

Free access to many books and other materials at the North Congregational Church, the Athenaeum, the Academy, and the Fairbanks Museum which show St. Johnsbury’s impact on the Smith family:

The Judge Walter Smith Family, and the enormous Fairbanks family influences.
North Congregational Church worship, Sunday School, prayer meetings, Bible study.
The Christian Endeavor Society, conversion, Bible, prayer meetings, and Quiet Hour events.
The “Great Awakening” of 1875, revivals, conversions, and their impact on the community.
The YMCA lay evangelists, revivals, town-wide union church events, and YMCA building.
St. Johnsbury Academy—its curriculum, chapel, Bible study, church service requirements,
and Congregationalist and Fairbanks family emphasis.

• In a few choice phrases, St. Johnsbury’s Dr. Bob told the recovery world

“Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!”
“We believed the answer to all our problems was in the Good Book.”
“We got the basic ideas from our study of the Good Book.”
“I had refreshed my memory of the Good Book, and I had had excellent training in that as a youngster.”
“Cultivate the habit of prayer. Read the Bible.”

• May this August opportunity usher in recovery visitors to see how and why early A.A. succeeded!
The new title Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book as a Youngster in Vermont can be found at http://drbob.info

A Nationwide Recovery Conference with Dick B.

Conference Theme: “A New Way Out”
“We Christians in the Recovery Arena Are Not Alone”

“Greetings and best wishes for the success of ‘A New Way Out Conference’ to the conferees from Todd Smith, grandson of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith, and son of Robert R. and Betty Smith.” Todd

Southern California
Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, 2009
Mariners Church - Community Center
5001 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine, California 92603

Coordinator: Pastor Jim Gaffney, Counselor, Consultant, Ministry Catalyst, Newport Beach, CA
Boots on the Ground: Jeff MacLeod, Exec. Dir., Overcomers Outreach, Inc., Whittier, CA
Hospitality Chairperson: Vivian Eisenecher, Author, San Diego, California
Food and Beverage Chairperson: Angela Eren Capp of Venice, California
Area Contact Person for Directions: Frank Braggiotti: (818) 994-7849

No registration is required; admission is free

Hospitality, fellowship, food, & beverages,
literature table, and historical books and displays

Music at the Conference by
the renowned percussionist and singer, Walter Santos
http://www.santosministries.org/


Outline of Friday Program

Friday, May 15, 2:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Mariners Church – Community Center
5002 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine, California 92603

“Greetings and best wishes for the success of “A New Way Out Conference” to the conferees from Todd Smith, grandson of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith, and son of Robert R. and Betty Smith,” Todd

Synopsis of Friday Program

Friday is a “Workshop Day” with opportunities for presenters and “ambassadors” to share in round-table and one-on-one discussions about their programs, literature, conferences, centers, archives, forums, guidebooks, websites, radio, TV, and meetings. Preparations for this “Workshop Day” have included circulating questionnaires to some of the conferees to enable them to see and ponder some of the issues for Christians in the recovery arena that have been raised about their programs, their fellowships, and their meetings. At the “Workshop Day,” you will have opportunities to meet experienced, like-minded believers, make new contacts, and share your own work.

Concept: “We Christians in the Recovery Arena are not alone.” Conferees will be sharing along these lines: “Here’s what we are doing as Christians in the recovery arena. Here are the problems we have encountered. Here’s how we are dealing with them. Here’s how we can help others present recovery history, the Christian roots of recovery, establish or reestablish a relationship with God, recover with God’s help, and pass it on.”


Friday Schedule of Events

2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Hospitality and viewing of exhibits
Music by Santos

3:00 – Introduction to the Workshop Conference
Prayer
Details as to Conference times, agendae, exhibits, restrooms, food, programs
Special thanks to Mariners Church, Pastor Jim Gaffney, Santos, Overcomers Outreach, sponsors, endorsers, presenters, helpers, and those who have brought literature; Introduction of Dick B. and Ken B.; and Opening Remarks by Dick B.

3:15 – 3:45 – Dick B. – Opening Remarks, Conference mission, Friday objectives and plans, and
presentation of the wide variety of answers given to pre-conference survey questions.

3:45 – 4:00 –Chairperson asks those to stand who will make remarks and/or have brought their
materials for display

4:00 – 4:15 – Music by Santos and stretch break

4:15 – 4:20 – Pass the baskets

4:20 – 5:30 – Chairperson will recognize audience members for 5 minutes each, to share on subjects relevant to the Conference theme, about his or her program, his or her accomplishments and group, his or her problems encountered, suggestions for future outreach, what he or she will do in distributing literature, posting on websites, organizing list-serves, setting up conferences and seminars, organizing study groups, and other suggestions.

5:30 – 5:45 – Music by Santos and stretch break

5:45 – 6:45 – Question and Answer Panel – Questions addressed to Dick B., Chair, answered
by panel: Dick B., Michael Liimatta, Ray Grumney, Larry Webb, or substitute members

6:45 – 8:00 Break for food on premises, music, networking, exhibits

8:00 – 9:00 – Three-minute open sharing by conferees on any topic relevant to Conference theme.

9:00 – 9:10 – Music by Santos and stretch break

9:10 – 9:30 – Closing Remarks by Dick B. and Ken B.

9:30 - Lord’s Prayer

9:30 – 10:00 – Opportunity to meet, visit exhibits and tables, network, fellowship, exchange information

10:00 - Conference adjourns

Summary of the Foregoing Friday Meeting Objectives

A place and opportunity for some motivated, experienced believers in the love and power of God and in the value of recovery fellowship work today. Illustrating the widespread concern among Christians in recovery. With one-on-one discussions of individual programs, literature, conferences, centers, archives, forums, guidebooks, websites, radio, TV, and meetings

Concept: “Here’s what we are doing. Here are the problems we encounter. Here’s how we are dealing with them. Here’s how we can help others present recovery history, Christian roots, and the ways of helping others establish or reestablish a relationship with God, recover with God’s help, and pass it on.”

Agenda will cover: (1) Hospitality and introductions of those present. (2) Opening remarks by Dick B. and report on answers to survey questions. (3) Display of key conference exhibits and workshop materials. (4) Music by Santos. (5) Food and beverages. (6) Roundtable period for presenters and “ambassadors” to share, report on works-in-progress, raise questions, propose outreach approaches and solutions. (6) Opportunity for those present to express themselves. (7) Panel for Q & A period. (8) Closing program ideas. (9) Time for personal talks, meetings, exchange of introductions.


Outline of Saturday Program

Saturday, May 16, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Mariners Church – Community Center
5001 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine, California 92604

Synopsis of Saturday Program

Saturday features a full day of presentations by recovery facilitators from throughout the United States and Canada, as well as fellowship group leaders and members; with addresses by Dick B. on the theme of the conference, the need for learning and disseminating the Christian history and roots of the recovery movement, and the essence of those sources, principles, and practices that have applicability today.


Saturday Schedule of Events

9:00 – 9:30 AM – Hospitality, music by Santos, viewing exhibits, exchanging handshakes,
complimentary copy at the door (one per conferee) of A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B., God and Alcoholism by Dick B., Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community: A Twelve Step Guide for Those Who Want to Believe by Three Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timers and Their Wives, Compiled and Edited by Dick B.; several program materials.

“Greetings and best wishes for the success of “A New Way Out Conference” to the conferees from Todd Smith, grandson of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith, and son of Robert R. and Betty Smith,” Todd

9:30 – 9:45 – Conference Chair opens the conference
Prayer
Thanks to Mariners Church, Pastor Jim Gaffney, Santos, Overcomers Outreach, Inc., Hospitality crew, sponsors, endorsers, exhibitors, and conferees
Details on exhibits, restrooms, food, donations, events
Introduction of Dick B. and Ken B.

9:45 – 9:50 - Rev. Ken B.: Reading 1 Corinthians 13—one of the three Bible segments believed by the Akron A.A. old timers to be “absolutely essential” to their program [from the New American Standard Bible]

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all
faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant. does not act
unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does
not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;

“Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are
gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it
will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial
will be done away.

“When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a
man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know
in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Brief musical interlude with Santos

10:00 – 11:00 - Address by Dick B.: “The Historical Success Factor and the Pressing Need for ‘A New Way Out.’”

11:00 – 11:10 – Pass the basket, music by Santos, stretch

11:10 – 11:20 - Brief Story/Presentation by Mike Lewandowski, Lamb of God Ministries, Okeechobee, Florida

11:20 – 12:50 - Christian Recovery Presenters and Leaders: 10-minute presentations

• The Bridge Group: Pauline Bartosch & Jeff MacLeod, Overcomers Outreach, Inc., Whittier, California
• The Church Approach: Pastor Jim Gaffney, Counselor, Consultant, Ministry Catalyst, Newport Beach, California
• Treatment: Fr. Bill Wigmore, Austin Recovery, Austin, Texas
• Christ Centered Recovery Fellowship Programs, Operation Integrity, David Zailer, Monarch Beach, California
• Urban Ministry: Rev. Michael Liimatta, City Vision College, Kansas City, MO.
• Christian Treatment at Calvary Ranch, Lakeside, California, Walter Santos
• The Practice of the Crucified Life: George McLauchlin, M.A., Tampa, Florida
• “Footprints” Alcoholics Victorious, Brother Wayne White, Kansas City, Missouri
• Twelve Step Christian Recovery, David Powers, RockRecovery, San Diego, California

12:50 – 2:00 - Food on the premises, music by Santos; networking, exhibits, literature

2:00 – 3:30 - Recovery Fellowship Members and Fellowship Activists: 10-minute presentations

• Historical Locations, The Wilson House, East Dorset, Vermont: Bonnie Lepper
• Historical Locations, Dr. Bob’s Home, Akron, Ohio: Ray G., Archivist (ret.), Dr. Bob’s Home
• Mark Galligan, “Akronites,” Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
• James Club Groups: John Sorrells, Norco, California
• Focus on the newcomer: Joseph Delgado, San Dimas, Californa
• Focus on the newcomer: Keith Walters of Kailua Kona, Hawaii
• Focus on the newcomer: Scott Craven, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Big Book/Bible Study Groups: Larry Webb, Rancho Santa Margarita, California
• Community outreach groups: Russell Spatz, Attorney, Miami, Florida
• Recovery Radio and How to Get It Done, Monty Meyer, Albany, Oregon

3:30 – 3:40 – Pass the basket, music with Santos, stretch break

3:40 – 4:40 - Concluding Remarks by Dick B. and Ken B.

4:40 – 5:00 – Closing activities

Rev. Ken B.: Reading from the New American Standard Bible:

Hosea 4:1, 6: “Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land. . . . My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. . .”
Jeremiah 2:13: “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”
Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Acts 17:11: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed ...”
James 1:19-22: “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Lord’s Prayer

5:00 – 6:00 - Fellowship, hospitality, mutual introductions, music by Santos
Time for examining exhibits and tables, and securing literature, books, and tapes
___________________________________________________________________________
This Conference is NOT an A.A. event; and, consequently, concerns about violating A.A.'s Traditions and/or about non-A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature are not appropriate topics for discussion nor will such concerns be entertained during the meetings. This history conference is not associated with, nor allied with, nor in any way connected with Alcoholics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. We suggest that all who receive Conference flyers and/or Programs, and who plan to invite others--which we are strongly encouraging you to do--should so inform all those whom they invite. Dick B.
Special Exhibits: (1) a special reprint of Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”), 2d ed., with “Their Pathway to a Cure” cover published by Ken R.; (2) a copy of Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers manuscript by its author Niles Peebles; (3) a copy of the personal journal of Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne Smith; (4) copies of numerous drafts of the manuscript of Lois Remembers; (5) Dick B.’s review of the Clarence H. Snyder Bible; (6) Our Legacy to the Faith Community by Three Clarence H. Snyder Sponsees and Their Wives; (7) an autographed photo of Bill W. and Father Dowling; (8) works by Richard K., including studies of the “First 40” cures, and of the early A.A. articles and statistics; (9) copies of the rosters of pioneer members; (10) the two Frank Amos reports on the Original A.A. program; (11) a copy of Carl Jung-Bill Wilson letter; (12) Yale Summer School lecture by Bill in 1945; (13) books on St. Johnsbury Academy and Burr and Burton Academy; (14) the article in The Tidings reporting the talks by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1948; (15) The Vermont Chronicle for 1896—the period of Dr. Bob’s youth; and (16) others historical finds!

Meet with Dick B. and Ken B. before or after the Conference days. At previous conferences, Dick B. and Ken B. had lunches, meetings, visits, and dinners at their hotel and elsewhere with many interested in Christian outreach; and that is how this present Conference came about. We invite and encourage such exchanges with us individually and as groups, and among others attending. To that end, both before and after the Conference days, Dick B. and Ken B. may be available to meet with you—by appointment only--at the Fairmont Newport Beach Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Boulevard, Newport Beach, California 92660; (866) 840-8402. Appointment days will be Wednesday (4/13), Thursday (4/14), Sunday (4/17), and Monday (4/18). To schedule an appointment, please contact Dick B. by email at DickB@DickB.com or by phone at (808) 874-4876.

Complimentary literature free for the taking on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as supplies last, for all those attending the Conference: (1) A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B.; (2) God and Alcoholism by Dick B.; (3) Our Legacy to the Faith Community by Three Clarence H. Snyder Sponsees and Their Wives; and (4) Program material and supplementary literature of conferees on exhibit tables.

Exhibits by Conferees: Presenters, speakers, sponsors, endorsers, and other conference participants may provide information at the Conference relative to their mission, products, and/or services involving "carrying the message to those who still suffer and to those trying to help them.” For a donation of $50.00 to help support the Conference, you or your group may secure the use of one (1) table and two (2) chairs to provide information relevant to the Conference purpose. No sales transactions, please.

Available for purchase at the Conference: music by Santos; titles by Dick B.

Note about accommodations and food: There are a number of lodging facilities and places to eat within easy distance of Mariners Church Community Center in Irvine. During the Conference, coffee (and probably tea and water) will be provided free on the Mariners Church Community Center premises; and other beverages, fruit, and sandwiches will be provided at nominal cost so that conferees need not leave the Conference area during sessions.

Other Conference-period opportunities: (1) If you volunteer to help pass out literature, man the exhibit tables, be a greeter, pass the baskets, help serve food and beverages, and/or be a contact person, you will have added opportunity to bless and be blessed. (2) Dick B. will be speaking at the James Club group in Norco, California, on Thursday evening, May 14. This important meeting is open to all. The James Club meeting starts at 7:00 pm on Thursday. (3) At that meeting, Darvin W. Smith, M.D., internationally known addictionologist, will explain the work of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and International Substance Abuse and Alcoholism Coalition (ISAAC). (4) A special feature of the Thursday meeting will be the display, explanation, exhibiting, and filming of all the Dick B. historical treasures collection (5) The Thursday James Club of Norco meeting had been specially located at New Beginnings Community Church, 1769 Western Ave., Norco, CA 92860; please consider attending that meeting. The special feature has just been added to the Thursday meeting. All of the Dick B. historical collection will be there for review, discussion, and filming. A rare opportunity! (6) You may arrange meetings, lunches, dinners, or meetings with others during the pre-and post-conference periods, including Saturday evening in the Irvine area.

What Should You Bring with You to the Conference Meetings?

• A Bible (King James Version preferred since that was the book pioneers used)
• Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”), 4th ed., 2001
• Your own program workbooks, literature, flyers, pamphlets, exhibits
Note about food at the Conference and about accommodations. Recent donations have made it probable that our hospitality ladies can provide sandwiches, fruit, and carbonated beverages at a reasonable price, with complimentary coffee and tea. This will enable conferees to enjoy food on the campus without need to leave the campus during sessions, disrupting continuity, and missing time slots. There are also a number of inexpensive eateries in the vicinity. In addition, there are reasonably-priced lodging facilities within easy distance of Mariners Church Community Center.
Accommodations in Irvine near the Mariners Church - Community Center. Dick B. and Ken B. are booked into the Fairmont Newport Beach Hotel from Wednesday, May 13, to Monday noon, May 18. The hotel is located about three (3) miles from Mariners Church. We booked through www.Hotels.com, and received a reasonable rate. Fairmont Newport Beach Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, CA 92660, (866) 840-8402
(1) For those not able to attend but wishing to support the conference with a $20.00 donation: Receive an email attachment copy of A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B. (2) For a $50.00 donation, an exhibit table and two chairs are available at the Conference. (3) In both cases, please use the “Donate” button in the center column on the first page of the main Dick B. website (http://www.dickb.com), and email Dick B. at DickB@DickB.com to notify him of the donation and to request either: (1) a copy of A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B. for $20.00; or (2) an exhibit table and two chairs at the Conference for $50.00.
_________________________________________________________________

A New Way Out

Explanation of the Path and of the Objective

Our mission, beginning in 1991, has been to find out what role, if any, God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible had in early Alcoholics Anonymous. Having completed more than 18 years of research, our objective now is to show people the power and love of God present in the early A.A. Christian Fellowship program in Akron, Ohio; and to report the astonishing success rate in pioneer A.A. among seemingly-hopeless, medically-incurable, real alcoholics who went to any lengths to establish (or reestablish) their relationship with God and to be healed. Finally, our present desire is to bring that same power and love of God to those who still suffer from life-controlling problems and self-destructive behaviors, and to those who have the heart to serve and help those still in need.

Purposes of “A Nationwide Recovery Conference with Dick B.” in Southern California in May 2009 and of A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B.

To provide Christian recovery leaders and Christian recovery fellowship members, groups, and agencies with a guide in the recovery field that enables them to learn, utilize, add, and incorporate a history element in their particular endeavors. To facilitate their own growth in fellowship with their Heavenly Father. To enable them to help the afflicted receive from the one, true, living God by coming to Him through His Son Jesus Christ and through a knowledge of His written Word (the Bible) their much-needed healing and deliverance. And to assure that Christian recovery leaders and other Christians active in the recovery arena know, are fortified with, are guided by, and are emboldened in their witnessing through, the accurate historical details as to effective Christian approaches to recovery in the past. Approaches such as those of the YMCA, Christian Endeavor, the Salvation Army, Gospel Rescue Missions, the Oxford Group, evangelists, and early Akron A.A. pioneers themselves. Approaches that employed Christian techniques of personal work to offer a way out of the power of darkness through salvation and coming unto the knowledge of the truth.

The Core Ideas in A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B. That Will Provide the Full and Accurate Roots and Historical Sources of Effective Recovery You Need to Know

• The Christian background and training of A.A. cofounders Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson as youngsters in Vermont
• The Christian organizations and leaders that contributed to the original pioneer program of A.A. in Akron
• The basic ideas from the Bible that were translated to Akron A.A.
• The early A.A. Christian Fellowship founded in Akron on June 10, 1935, and the
exact program of recovery its members followed
• The documented, 75% success rate that was achieved in Akron by following that pioneer program
• The actual cures and recoveries the early A.A. members achieved

A Birdseye Summary of the Original A.A. Program Founded on June 10, 1935 (the actual words of the summary can be found in the report by Frank Amos to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 131, and in A New Way Out Guidebook by Dick B. and Ken B.). A copy of this original program report has graciously been supplied by the Rockefeller Archives and will be on display at the Conference

• Abstinence and resisting temptation
• Reliance on the Creator and coming to Him through Jesus Christ.
• Obeying God’s will and eliminating sinful conduct
• Growing in fellowship with God, His Son, and other believers through
Bible study, prayer meetings, Quiet Time, and reading Christian literature
• Helping other alcoholics get straightened out by these same means
• Recommended social and religious fellowship with other believers
• Recommended attendance at a religious service of choice each week


Special Thanks to
Those Who Have Funded and/or Endorsed the Conference Thus Far

Sponsors Who Have Funded the Conference

Overcomers Outreach, Inc., of Whittier, California
Calvary Ranch of Lakeside, California
Charles P. Mau of Manhattan Beach, California
Austin Recovery of Austin, Texas
Ken Roberts of Daphne, Alabama
James Club of Norco, California
Larry D. Webb of Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Mark Galligan of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Bob J. of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
Steve Foreman, Came to Believe Retreats, of Winter Park, Florida
La Hacienda Treatment Center, Hunt, Texas
Anonymous of Honolulu, Hawaii
Bishop Rich Skolnik of St. James, L.I., New York
Chuck Huckaby of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
T. Willard Hunter of Claremont, California
Rock Recovery of San Diego, California
Soledad House of San Diego, California
ABC Sober Living of San Diego, California
John Barton of Orange, New Jersey
Neal Britner of Clay, New York
Wally Camp of Falmouth, Maine
Joel H. Wasti of Oro Valley, Arizona
Manna House Ministries in Jamestown, Tennessee
Robert Wheeler of Winter Park, Florida
Laura Long of Dallas, Texas
House of Hope of San Pedro, California
Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors Institute of Redlands, California
Herbert V. Kaighan of Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Those Who Have Endorsed the Conference

The Wilson House and Griffith Library at East Dorset, Vermont
North Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Ray G., Retired archivist, Dr. Bob’s Home, Akron, Ohio
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Dr. Bob’s church) in Akron, Ohio
Shoemaker Room Archives at Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Karen Plavan, Ph.D., Contact Person
The James Club of Glendora, California
The James Club of Norco, California
Santos Ministries of Carlsbad, California
Calvary Ranch of Lakeside, California
Bob Noonan, Stepping Out Recovery Ministry of Orange, California
Fr. Bill Wigmore, President of Austin Recovery, Austin, Texas
Chris Raymer, La Hacienda Treatment Center of Hunt, Texas
Pat Robertson, Servant and President of CityTeam Ministries of San Jose, California
Charles P. Mau of Manhattan Beach, California
Bob J. of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
Scott Craven of Honolulu, Hawaii
Keith Walters of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
T. Willard Hunter of Claremont, California
Ken Roberts of Daphne, Alabama
James Moody, Manna House Ministries, of Jamestown, Tennessee
Tracy Davis of Franklin, Tennessee
Chuck Huckaby of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
Daxton and Jessica Lyon of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Bishop Rich Skolnik of St. James, L.I., New York
David Zailer, Operation Integrity, of Monarch, California
Pastor Jim Gaffney of Newport Beach, California
Tom Thompson, Recovery Pastor, Lake Forest, California
Joey Delgado, Bible and recovery meetings of San Dimas, California
Mark Galligan of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Cameron Freeman of Toronto, Canada
Came to Believe Retreats of Winter Park, Florida
Lamb of God Ministries of Okeechobee, Florida
George McLauchlin of Yet Not I, Tampa, Florida
Russell Spatz, attorney, Alive Again, of Miami, Florida
Jean LaCour, Ph.D. of NET Training Institute for Addiction Studies, Orlando, Florida
Karen Plavan, Ph.D., Pittsburgh Recovery Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rev. Michael Liimatta of City Vision College, Kansas City, Missouri
Footprints – Alcoholics Victorious of Kansas City, Missouri
Jeff MacLeod, Executive Director of Overcomers Outreach, Inc.,Whittier, California
Pauline Bartosch, Cofounder of Overcomers Outreach, Inc, Whittier, California
Bobby Gee of Sherman Oaks, California
Frank Braggiotti of Van Nuys, California
Vivian Eisenecher of San Diego, California
David Powers of Rock Recovery Ministry, San Diego, California
Angela Eren Capp of Venice, California
Virginia Sullivan of Irvine, California
Monty Meyer of Take 12 Radio, KHLT, Albany, Oregon
Dan Frye of British Columbia, Canada
L. Priebe, Biblical Recovery Resources, Virginia
Mel Schulstad, Col., USAF Retired, Seattle, Washington
Gene McLendon of Morehead City, South Carolina
Dan Murphy, Last Call Radio Program, Washington, Utah
Joanne Barnett, Addictions Counselor, Lebanon, New Hampshire
The Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors, Redlands, California
Neal Britner of Clay, New York
Herbert V. Kaighan of Rancho Palos Verdes, California
House of Hope of San Pedro, California
Larry D. Webb of Rancho Santa Margarita, California
John Sorrells of Norco, California
Robert P. Turner, MD, MSCR of Charleston, South Carolina
Darvin Smith, MD, Addictionologist, Past President International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition and Carol Smith, M.A., Co-Directors-Addictive Behavior Ministries International University of the Nationals/Youth with a Mission, from Boulder, Colorado
John Barton of Orange, New Jersey
Wally Camp of Falmouth, Maine
Joel H. Wasti of Arizona
Laura Long of Dallas, Texas
Robert Wheeler of Winter Park, Florida

For more information about “A Nationwide Conference with Dick B.”, please see the official conference web site at: www.ANewWayOut.com.

Dick B.: www.DickB.com; email: dickb@dickb.com


Gloria Deo