During this time he was more commonly known as Bill W. His sober years were not always idyllic, and he went through a couple of bad periods of depression. Despite writing one of the most popular books of all time, he never became rich because of it. Even though he had been so important in the creation of AA he did not always feel comfortable spending time at the meetings. His attendance would always create a fuss, and he would be expected to give a talk. This meant that he was not able to enjoy the same benefits of the group as other members. On his deathbed Bill asked for whisky, but it was not given to him. Bill Wilson died of emphysema and pneumonia in 1971. He had continued to be a heavy smoker throughout his years of sobriety.
The early members of AA were still closely connected to the Oxford Group. Bill continued to have misgivings about their evangelical leanings. He felt that this would prevent too many alcoholics from accepting the help that such a program could offer. Bill had been influenced by a physician called Dr. Silkwood who promoted the idea that alcoholism was a disease and not moral failing. The early members of AA became convinced that it was a disease that could be cured with a spiritual program. In order to make this cure available to more people it was necessary for Alcoholics Anonymous split completely away from the Oxford Group. In 1939, the group released a book called Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than 100 Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. This later became known as the Big Book. It has become the most successful self-help publication of all time, with over 20 million copies sold. Most of the content was written by Bill, but he did get a great deal of help from the earl...
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