ABSTRACT
Movements similar in philosophy and structure to AA were prevalent throughout the 1800s. Although none of these groups established a national organization, these forerunner organizations (e.g., Oxford group, the Washingtonians) ran halfway houses in urban areas (Baumohl & Room, 1987). Not until the 1950s did it become common for alcoholics to be treated in state hospitals, where they were housed with patients suffering from other disorders. Therapies (psychoanalysis and group therapy) employed in the treatment of other disorders were applied to alcoholism. Some states also financed half way houses for alcoholics (Weisner & Room, 1984). City missions, financed through charities and church, provided sustenance and religious reform for those alcoholics lacking employment and families. AA, founded in 1935, was available but did not achieve the large reception it enjoys presently.
