The Knowledge Series: The AA Twelve Steps

by Adam Alexander

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the first twelve-step fellowship, was founded in Akron, Ohio on August 11, 1938 (although some speculate the date as being June 10, 1935, the date on which Dr. Bob had his last drink) by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, known to AA members as "Bill W." and "Dr. Bob". They established the tradition within the "anonymous" twelve-step programs of using only first names "at the level of press, radio and film". This document is an illustrated version of the 12 step program.As AA chapters were increasing in number during the 1930s and 1940s, the guiding principles were gradually defined as the Twelve Traditions. A singleness of purpose emerged as Tradition "Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2015

About the author

Adam Alexander is a consummate story-teller thanks to forty years as a successful and award-winning film and television producer. His films have included documentaries about little-known cultures, (A Year in Tibet), popular food series, (Return to Tuscany, The Urban Chef) and gardening programmes, (A Year at Kew, A Garden for Eden). He has won awards for culturally important ethnographic series including, Hughesovka, Eutopia, Unholy Land and Russian Wonderland.

Adam’s true passion is collecting rare, endangered but above all, delicious vegetables from around the world. He lectures widely on his work discovering and conserving rare, endangered garden crops. He is a Board Member of the national charity Garden Organic. His knowledge and expertise growing out vegetables for seed is highly valued by the Heritage Seed Library, for which he is a seed guardian. He shares seeds with other growers and gene banks in the EU, the USA and Canada. He is currently growing out seed of heritage Syrian and Ukrainian vegetables for displaced people.

He has appeared on CNN’s Going Green, BBC’s Gardeners’ World and The Great British Food Revival. He has written for The Organic Way, The Sustainable Food Trust, The Cottage Garden Society, Simple Things. He is currently working with The Museum of Wales, St. Fagans reviving Welsh heritage vegetables and has provided heirloom Welsh vegetable seed to culturally important gardens including Aberglassney in West Wales. He is in demand as a consultant and advisor to private gardens and institutions wanting to showcase British heritage crops.