Who Is Dr. Bob? Learning about the AA Founders

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Robert Holbrook Smith was born on August 8, 1879 in Vermont.

Before he became one of the founders of AA, he was a young man in college, just starting his love affair with alcohol. Smith attended Dartmouth College. During his junior year, he became known in his fraternity, Kappa Kappa Kappa, for being able to down a whole bottle of beer without his Adam’s apple moving.

From Dartmouth, Smith enrolled in medical school at the University of Michigan. It was there that alcohol started to impact his studies. He began missing classes and even dropped out at one point. He did return, then transferred to Rush Medical College. There, his drinking continued to escalate, and reached a point where the college reached out to his father to intervene.

While he did complete his studies, the medical school required him to stay an additional two quarters, during which he had to stay sober. He met these requirements and received his degree and medical license.

If you’re ready to get sober, but don’t know where to turn, call 800-948-8417 Sponsored today to talk to an addiction specialist and find the help you need.

The Drinking Continues

On January 25, 1915, Dr. Bob married Anne Robinson Ripley, a young woman from Ohio. Anne and Bob settled in Akron, Ohio, where he opened a private practice in colorectal surgery. During this period, Smith started drinking again.

Over the next 17 years, he had over 12 admissions to different sanitariums and hospitals in an attempt to get sober. In January of 1933, Anne convinced Smith to start attending Oxford Group meetings, where a group of Christians attempted to help each other with alcohol abuse. Smith went to those meetings for two years, but continued to drink.

Until he met Bill Wilson.

Enter Bill Wilson

On May 13, 1935, Dr. Bob met a recovering alcoholic named Bill Wilson at an Oxford Group meeting. Through talking to him, Smith stopped drinking. Yet, after a month of sobriety, he relapsed at a convention in Atlantic City.

He returned to Akron. On June 10, 1935, he had his last drink. It was a beer given to him by Bill to help settle his nerves before performing a surgery. Dr. Bob never picked up alcohol again. That day, 6-10-35, is the official founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, a day when one alcoholic helped another get and remain sober.

Who’s Bill W.? Learning about the AA Founders

When William Griffith Wilson was born in a Vermont town on November 26, 1895, no one ever realized he would start a movement that now has over 2 million members, each one who will call Bill W. their friend. Bill went from an alcoholic who didn’t have a friend to turn to, and became the man that Time Magazine named one of the most important people of the 20th century. Early Life Bill and his sister were raised by their grandparents after both of their parents left, their father relocating and not returning after a business trip and their mother…

The Prince of 12th Steppers

From June 1935 until his death from colon cancer on November 16th, 1950, Dr. Bob helped thousands of men and women get sober. Of those, 5,000 came from the hospital in Akron alone. Bill Wilson gave him the nickname “the Prince of 12th Steppers,” as Dr. Bob devoted the last 15 years of his life to helping others get sober and embrace recovery through love and service.

Are You Ready to Follow Dr. Bob?

While Dr. Bob is no longer physically here, you can still follow in his footsteps by attending AA or other 12 step meetings.

Dr. Bob’s words reach individuals through the fellowship, the Big Book, and the millions who have gotten sober and received their life back by following his steps. If you’re ready to make your life better, now’s the time. Call 800-948-8417 Sponsored today to learn more about recovery, your treatment options, and finding the help you need.