An Anniversary
Today (June 10) is the day known in Alcoholics Anonymous as Founder's Day. It is considered the day of the founding of the first AA group with Dr. Bob and Bill W. In the past 20 - 30 years AA has become so relatively commonplace that it hard to imagine a time when alcoholics were shuttled away to asylums or sanitariums or dark corners of hospital wards. They were incurable. There was nothing- absolutely nothing- that could be done. Very sad, people said, but so very true.

Of course watching the behaviors of many of the alcoholics then and now (just read the newspaper) you can understand why they were locked away. But today many people do not end up in asylums, jail, or dead. A lot still do because they still misunderstand the power of addiction and of alcohol as a highly addictive mood-altering drug. But more and more people are discovering recovery.

So today, 72 years into AA's history, we say Happy Founder's Day- and thank God for AA.

Dryblog (where I was reminded of today's significance, has some good links to things like the Time article that ranks this date as one of the 80 days that changed the world and places to go to hear mp3s of Bill W. and Dr. Bob. Good stuff.