Question on AA's b-day of June 10, 1935

[scorpiogirl]

Does anyone know why Alcoholics Anonymous officially started on June 10, 1935? I'm asking cause that was the last day Dr. Bob took a drink. He actually drank on that day so why isn't the founding day celebrated on June 11th instead of the 10th?

I was always told the very first day you didn't drink or use was your first day of sobriety; not the day of your last drink. If that's the case, then , I ought to change my sobriety date to a day earlier!

Thoughts anyone?

[barb dwyer]

huh. Dunno.

I count my first day of not drinking.

[Pinkcuda]

I count the last drink. That is when I made my decision to quit. That is when I admited I was an Alcoholic and my life had become unmanagable. It was about 5:00 in the afternoon and I was still sober by my standards. It wasn't a DUI or some event that would have prohibited drinking if I had wanted to. It was just time. It was the day I quit.
To answer your question a little more directly, Recoverey begins when one Alcoholic talks to another Alcoholic about Alcoholism and work towards a common solution. In this case it was June 10th 1935

Let me edit this. I had taken half of the first step years prior. I was an Alcoholic. I was not ready to define "Unmanagable"

[CarolD]

Hmm...
I've had many DOS's and have always
counted mine from the first day I did not drink.
The only sober time I am responsible
for is my own.

As to who decided to choose June 10th or why
I simply don't give a darn.
Just grateful to be living in the program.

[bballdad]

my sobriety date is about 7-10 days after my last drink because thats when I came back to aa and picked up a white chip..

[scorpiogirl]

Originally Posted by Pinkcuda

I count the last drink. That is when I made my decision to quit. That is when I admited I was an Alcoholic and my life had become unmanagable. It was about 5:00 in the afternoon and I was still sober by my standards.

To answer your question a little more directly, Recoverey begins when one Alcoholic talks to another Alcoholic about Alcoholism and work towards a common solution. In this case it was June 10th 1935 "

Interesting. From what I interpret you to say, it was the day you decided to quit yet, you actually hadn't completely stopped til the next day.

Where are you getting the thing on "recovery begins when one alcoholic talks to another alcoholic about alcoholism....."? A seed might be planted yet not all people stop and recover just cause they're talking about alcoholism with another recovering person. I'm not talking about recovery anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knew why AA started on 6-10-35 when Dr. Bob actually drank that day. I guess it's something I can start to look up on the internet in the archives.

[Tazman53]

Does anyone know why Alcoholics Anonymous officially started on June 10, 1935? I'm asking cause that was the last day Dr. Bob took a drink. He actually drank on that day so why isn't the founding day celebrated on June 11th instead of the 10th?

Just my take on it, but to be a member one must simply have a desire to quit drinking, not be sober, that may be viewed as the founding day because it was one alcoholic helping another one, wet or dry.

[debs4321]

For me, it doesnt really matter if his actual quit date was the 10th or 11th of June. Whats important to me is that this program of recovery was form and I am sober today.

JMO

[Pinkcuda]

So Bob wasn't an AA Member because he had been drinking that day? A couple months ago I was chastised here on this board because I asked a person to leave a meeting because they had been drinking. I was told by several here that just because someone had been drinking doesn't mean they don't have a desire to quit. Therefore they were Members and I had no right to ask them to leave. The consensus although I disagree was that this person was indeed a "Member" of Alcoholics Anonymous. Drinking or Not.
Again, whether Bob had or had not been drinking is a moot point. The first AA Meeting was 6/10/35.

[TTOSBT]

I have been taught that everyone is welcome in AA! If it is a closed meeting, we ask that they have a "desire" to stop drinking. If it is an open meeting, anyone can attend.
I have driven folks that were wet to AA meetings. They chose to go to a meeting instead of continuing to drink. I support that. Every hour one is in an AA meeting is an hour they did not drink.

[RufusACanal]

"The Archives of the American Medical Association reportedly show that their convention in Atlantic City, in the year 1935 did not start until June 10th. How could Dr. Bob have gone to the convention, by train - check into a hotel - attend the convention on Monday - check out on Tuesday - be in a blackout for 24 hours - go through a three -day detoxification - perform surgery on the day of his last drink - June 10, 1935?


It now appears that the date of Dr. Bob's last drink was probably on, or about, June 17, 1935.


Five days had passed since Dr. Bob left for the convention and returned to Akron. There was the three-day detoxification process and then there was the day of the surgery. Approximately nine days had passed from when he left and the date of his last drink.
If the records of the American Medical Association are in error as to the date of their convention it is possible that June 10, 1935 was the date of Dr. Bob's last drink. If the records are in error, the 1935 convention would have been the only one in the history of the American Medical Association that was listed with the wrong date.

It now appears that the date of Dr. Bob's last drink was probably on, or about, June 17, 1935. Maybe AA should keep the June 10th date as a symbolic Founding Date rather than claim it as the actual one? Maybe the date should be changed to reflect historical accuracy?

Either way, Dr. Bob never drank again until his death, November 16, 1950. Dr. Bob sponsored more than 5,000 AA members and left the legacy of his life as an example. Dr. Bob told those he sponsored that there were three things one had to do to keep sober:

TRUST GOD, CLEAN HOUSE, HELP OTHERS."

Excerpt from About.com:Alcoholism

[bballdad]

I believe it was Dr Bob who said,"if you drink so much as one drop of alcohol,you are out of the fellowship"
in my group,you need to be sober to be a member

Originally Posted by Pinkcuda

So Bob wasn't an AA Member because he had been drinking that day? A couple months ago I was chastised here on this board because I asked a person to leave a meeting because they had been drinking. I was told by several here that just because someone had been drinking doesn't mean they don't have a desire to quit. Therefore they were Members and I had no right to ask them to leave. The consensus although I disagree was that this person was indeed a "Member" of Alcoholics Anonymous. Drinking or Not.
Again, whether Bob had or had not been drinking is a moot point. The first AA Meeting was 6/10/35.

[TTOSBT]

Originally Posted by bballdad

I believe it was Dr Bob who said,"if you drink so much as one drop of alcohol,you are out of the fellowship"
in my group,you need to be sober to be a member

Wow! I had NO idea. I am just learning some about the history...

[scorpiogirl]

Originally Posted by Tazman53

Just my take on it, but to be a member one must simply have a desire to quit drinking

Gosh, this thread is really starting to jump! Yeaaa. Thank you all for your input; although I'm not asking about membership to AA, just wondered why it started on June 10, 1935 when Bob had actually drank. That WAS his last day he drank, not June 17. I've read it many times in several places.

And my understanding about membership is being sober or at least showing up over and over and over if/when you go out and not giving up. If you're going to meetings drunk or high, how can you belong to such an organization of Alcoholics Anonymous - better yet, why would you?

I'll check further guys and thank you for your input; especially all the stuff about the 1st convention and stuff.

[Peter]

AA is about "One alcoholic helping another".

AA has it's beginnings on the day Bill W met Dr. Bob. May 12 1935.

Just my $0.02 cents

[Tazman53]

I love Dr. Bob and mean him no disrespect at all, but if he said:

if you drink so much as one drop of alcohol,you are out of the fellowship

I would have to assume that he said that before the traditions came into play.

Three—The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.