New York stockbroker William G. Wilson (1895–1971) had been sober for six months when he hit a rough patch. Needing support, he connected with Akron surgeon Robert Holbrook Smith, also an alcoholic. On this day in 1935, the two men founded Alcoholics Anonymous.

What began as one conversation grew into a fellowship of men and women with a simple purpose: “to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”

Today, over two million people participate in the program. Members are encouraged to get and stay in contact with a sponsor, attend meetings, work the 12 Steps from the Big Book, and commit to meaningful change.

“Commitment,” said Abraham Lincoln, “is what transforms a promise into reality.”

Psychologist Carl Jung believed addiction reflected a void where spirit should dwell. “Meaning makes a great many things endurable,” he said, “perhaps everything.”

Niebuhr’s elegant Serenity Prayer now pulses through the spirit of A.A. It’s a touchstone of clarity, humility, and hope — offering a lifeline to millions navigating their hardest battles. In rooms filled with shared stories and soft miracles, the journey of recovery becomes a sacred circle of strength and grace.

“The virtues of A.A. are not really earned virtues,” said Wilson. “It is a matter of do or die.”

“In rooms filled with shared stories and soft miracles, the journey of recovery becomes a sacred circle of strength and grace.”