History

Bill W. refers to Dr. Silkworth as "the little doctor who loved drunks" and as "a man who was very much a founder of AA. From him we learned the nature of our illness." During his long career as the Physician-in-Chief of the Charles B. Towns Hospital in New York, Dr. Silkworth treated over 50,000 alcoholics, among them Bill W. He was AA's first friend. A doctor, a neurologist, and an alcoholism specialist, he freely risked his professional reputation to champion the fledgling movement. The chapter, "The Doctor's Opinion," which serves as a preface to the book Alcoholics Anonymous, was written by Dr. Silkworth.