One night last week, in Manhattan’s Hotel Commodore, a cheery, talkative group of 2,000 men & women enjoyed a birthday party. They seemed to be having a fine time, in spite of tackling a routine banquet menu (grapefruit, chicken, peas, ice cream) without any preliminary cocktails. The celebration was the 14th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous. The two anonymous founders, Bill, a Manhattan stockbroker, and Bob, an Akron physician, were there to tell about A.A.’s growth.
In the past two years, A.A. has more than doubled its membership (from 35,000 to 75,000). It now has 2,500 groups in the U.S. and 23 foreign countries—from Canada to Australia and Japan. The onetime alcoholics feel that their disease is one which cannot be cured, but can be arrested; they know that they cannot safely take even a single drink. They know that the fight is a tough one, but it can be done, with the help of friends and a Higher Power.
A.A.’s good record continues: about 50% of A.A. members never drink again; about half of those who “slip” return to A.A. within a period of one to five years.
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