CANADA, 1959
Bill N., Jill W. and Bill S. would never have met if not for one thing: a powerful addiction to alcohol. They are three members of a Vancouver chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous who have agreed to share their stories - in silhouette to maintain their anonymity – on a live 1959 broadcast of an AA meeting.
In this clip from CBC-TV, viewers also learn about AA's origins in 1935 and its 12-step program to help members get sober with the help of a "higher power."
Alcoholics Anonymous opens up
• Central to the AA philosophy is the book Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the Big Book. Originally written in 1939 and updated several times since, it details AA's methods and shares stories from members.
• AA reached Canada in the early 1940s, and by 1948 there were 21 groups in Toronto alone.
• Because alcoholism affects entire families, there are also the spinoff support groups Al-Anon (for spouses of alcoholics) and Alateen (for teenage children of alcoholics).
• In 2005 the international convention of AA was held in Toronto. Over 44,000 members - of an estimated two million worldwide - attended the conference.
• Though many alcoholics have successfully become sober with the help of AA, the program has its critics. According to a 2004 article in the Christian Science Monitor, research has not shown AA to be any more effective than other types of professional treatment for alcoholism. Some doctors disagree with AA's tenet that alcoholism is an incurable disease, while other people are troubled by the religious overtones of the group's methods.
Alcoholics Anonymous opens up
Medium: Television
Program: 7 O'Clock Show
Broadcast Date: May 20, 1959
Guest(s): Bill N., Bill S., Jill W.
Host: Bob Quintrell
Duration: 22:23
