Tom Tuesday: The History of AA

Tom Tuesday: The History of AA

What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This talk with Tom I at an AA mini conference in Asheville, NC zooms in on how Alcoholics Anonymous grew from two drunks in Akron to a worldwide fellowship, focusing on the story rather than dry timelines and dates. Tom, sober since 1957, jokes that he was AA member 125,001 and calls himself a "junkyard dog", but he has a clear love for AA history and the people who shaped it.

Instead of obsessing over whether Dr Bob’s last drink was at noon or three o’clock, he cares about what actually changed lives. As he puts it, "We're not about rich and powerful and gifted and talented and knowledgeable.

We're about folks who've been broken and healed." You’ll hear him walk through key moments: Bill W’s "white light" experience in Towns Hospital, the five-hour conversation between Bill and Dr Bob in Henrietta Seiberling’s gatehouse, and the birth of AA’s tradition of sharing personal experience rather than making speeches.

Tom links these stories directly to how AA meetings work today, saying, "What we do is tell our stories." The episode also touches on the writing of the Big Book by relative newcomers, the life-saving phrase "God as we understand Him", and the creation of the AA Traditions and General Service Conference. Tom challenges current members about service and group conscience, worrying that many have "abdicated responsibility" and that strong home groups and cooperation with professionals are fading.

There’s plenty of humour too – from sitting "almost soaking my sandwich with tears" at Dr Bob’s kitchen table to quips about being diagnosed as a drunk "at a half mile". Yet the heartbeat is serious: you and Tom’s audience are reminded that "you and I are writing the next increment of AA history".

If you’ve ever wondered why AA looks the way it does today, and what your part in its future might be, this talk might spark a fresh look at your own recovery and service.