The 12 steps program was inspired by a Christian evangelical movement called the Oxford Group. One of the guiding principles of the program is that the individual needs the help of a higher power in order to defeat their addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous came into existence during the late 1930s and this was the first 12 Step group. AA attracted a lot of positive media attention, and this helped it grow rapidly. Soon other 12 Step groups were developed to deal with problems other than alcoholism.
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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