"I believe that people are good if you give them half a chance and that good is more powerful than evil. The world seems to me excruciatingly, almost painfully beautiful at times, and the goodness and kindness of people often exceed that which even I expect." Lois Burnham Wilson   Lois Burnham, the co-founder of The Al-Anon Family Groups, was born on March 4, 1891 at 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, New York. Brooklyn Heights at that time was in character much the same that it … [Read more...]

(Rowland Hazzard brought the message to Ebby Thatcher who brought the message to Bill Wilson.) By Ron Ray, 9/24/92, from Bowling Green, KY After telling Rowland H. that he could never regain his position in society, Dr. Carl Jung the renowned Swiss psychiatrist was asked, "Is there no exceptions?" "Yes," replied Dr. Jung, "there is. Exceptions to cases such as yours have been occurring since early times. Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual … [Read more...]

By Sally Brown Marty Mann is scarcely a household word today, yet she is arguably one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Marty's life was like a blazing fire, but was nearly extinguished by personal tragedy and degradation. She rose to a triumphant recovery that powered a historic, unparalleled change in our society. Through her vision and leadership, the attitude of America toward alcoholism was changed from a moral issue to one of public health. This was a tremendous shift, … [Read more...]

One of the very early recovering alcoholics who worked with co-founder Bill W. was a man named Al, whose mother was secretary to Emmet Fox, a popular lecturer on New Thought philosophy. When the early groups were meeting in New York, members would frequently adjourn after a meeting and go to Steinway Hall to listen to Fox’s lecture. To this day there are AA groups that distribute Fox’s pamphlets along with Conference-approved AA literature. An account sets forth in “Dr. Bob and the Good … [Read more...]

(From Bill and Lois Wilson) Dear Friends: As we stand together, looking back on 1957, we see among us a heartening growth in numbers and in spirit. Our global unity is something for wonder. The world around us is everywhere our friend. That we of AA can really have and hold such blessings in this time of great fear and conflict – this time when all men and women stand at history’s most fateful crossroads – is almost beyond belief. Nevertheless we do have these blessings. The sum of … [Read more...]