Research Paper on:
The History and Operations of Alcoholic Anonymous

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
* The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. *  A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. * Our primary purpose  is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. This statement is printed on all official AA material. Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 by William Griffith  Wilson, a former stockbroker, and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith (Edmeades, 1985). Both were alcoholics (Edmeades, 1985). They met in June of 1935, on the day that  Smith took his last drink (Edmeades, 1985). The inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may have begun with Carl Jung who was treating a patient, an American named Rowland H.,  for his drinking problem (Edmeades, 1985). Rowland lapsed back into drinking as soon as his therapy ended and when he returned to Jung, Jung refused to treat him telling him  that psychiatric intervention was useless and the only thing that could help him was to have a vital spiritual experience (Edmeades, 1985). When Rowland returned to America, he found both  spirituality and sobriety with an evangelistic organization called the Oxford Group (Edmeades, 1985). The group had been initiated by Dr. Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister (Edmeades, 1985). Rowland told Buchman  what Jung had said and related his own experiences with other people who had a drinking problem and whom he met through Oxford Group (Edmeades, 1985). The sharing experiences along  with the spirituality gained in the group led another member, Ebby T. to stop drinking for about six months (Edmeades, 1985). That was towards the end of 1934. Ebby