Alcoholics Anonymous

In 1898 a Dartmouth freshman named Robert Smith '02 found that drinking was the major campus activity As a junior in the Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity, Smith won notoriety for his ability to chug a bottle of beer without any apparent movement of his Adam's apple. By the time he entered medical school at the University of Michigan, he was a serious alcoholic.

In May 1935 Smith and a fellow drinker, stock-broker Bill Wilson (who later became known to alcoholics worldwide as "Uncle Bill"), formed the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Smith's beliefs in "love and service" form the cornerstones of the A.A. philosophy. More than two million recovering alcoholics now belong to A.A. in 134 countries. The "12 steps" devised by the organization a path to "spiritual awakening" based on rigorous self-examination, along with an insistence on anonymity have been adapted by a wide variety of self-help groups, from the obese to the phobic.

Veteran drinker "Dr. Bob" Smithtook 12 steps to redemption.