Wouldn't too rapid growth
be bad, both for the new alcoholics and for
Alcoholics Anonymous itself?
Answer
Some of us used to think
so, but several experiences of quick expansion
have largely dissipated that fear. We had a
striking example at Cleveland, Ohio. In the fall
of 1939 Cleveland had, perhaps, 30 members. Most
of them had become Alcoholics Anonymous by
traveling to the nearby city of Akron where our
first group had taken root in the summer of
1935. At this juncture the Cleveland Plain
Dealer published a striking and forceful series
of articles about us. Placed on the editorial
page, these pieces told the people of Cleveland
that Alcoholics Anonymous worked; that it cost
nothing; that it stood ready to help any
alcoholic in town who really wanted to get well.
Cleveland quickly became Alcoholics Anonymous
conscious. Hundreds of inquiries by phone and
mail descended upon the Plain Dealer and the
expectant but nervous members of Alcoholics
Anonymous. The rush was so great that new
members sober themselves but a week or two, had
to be used to instruct the still newer arrivals.
Several private hospitals threw open their doors
to cope with the emergency and were so pleased
with the result that they have cooperated with
us ever since. To the great surprise of
everyone, this rapid growth, hectic though it
was, did prove very successful. Within 90 days
the original group of 30 had expanded to 300; in
six months we had about 500; and within two
years we had mushroomed to 1200 members
distributed among a score of groups in the
Cleveland area. Although we have no precise
figures, it is probably fair to say that 3 out
of 4 who came during that period, and who have
since remained with the groups, have recovered
from their alcoholism. (Quart. 3. Stud. Alc.,
Vol.6(2), September 1945)
