This June, Alcoholics Anonymous marks 91 years of continuous service since the first meeting between co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio, on 10 June 1935. Since that day, millions of people around the world have found a way to recover from alcoholism through the simple act of one alcoholic helping another.
Alcoholics Anonymous reached the shores of Australia in 1945 and for one Australian member, now sober for more than twenty years, the founders anniversary is a significant reminder not only of where he came from, but of everything recovery has made possible. "When I first came to AA, I thought all I wanted was to stop drinking," he says. "What I discovered was a whole new way of living."
Over two decades of sobriety, he has experienced many of life's milestones and challenges without needing to take a drink. He became a father and has had the privilege of raising two children. He started a business, watched it grow, and later navigated its closure. He has celebrated successes, endured disappointments, experienced loss, and embraced new beginnings.
"The greatest gift AA gave me wasn't just freedom from alcohol," he says. "It gave me the ability to show up for life. To be present for my children. To face difficult times without running away. To walk through both the highs and the lows with dignity and grace."
Like many AA members, he credits the fellowship, and a higher power not only with helping him to stop drinking, but with teaching him how to live. "Life still happens. There are still challenges, heartbreaks and setbacks. The difference today is that I don't have to face them alone, and I don't have to escape from them through alcohol."
As Alcoholics Anonymous celebrates 91 years since its founding, members across Australia are reflecting on a legacy built not on institutions or personalities, but on one person helping another find hope. "Every year, I become more grateful for the people who were there when I walked through the doors," he says. "They showed me that recovery was possible. Today, I have the chance to pass that same hope on to someone else."
For 91 years, Alcoholics Anonymous has carried a message of hope to people struggling with alcohol. Through wars, economic hardship, social change and personal adversity, its simple program of recovery and mutual support has continued to help alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety.
Today, thousands of Australians attend AA meetings each week, finding understanding, support and a practical way of living free from alcohol. "AA didn't just give me my life back," he says. "It gave me a life I never imagined possible. Being a father, building a career, contributing to my community, facing life's challenges with integrity. Those are gifts that began the day I asked for help."
As AA enters its 92nd year in the US, its message remains as relevant as ever: Alcoholism is an illness not a weakness, recovery is possible, and no one has to do it alone.
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