Bill W. and Dr. Bob 2007

Bill W. and Dr. Bob is the inspiring and often humorous story of the two men who pioneered Alcoholics Anonymous, and their supportive wives, who founded Al Anon.



In 1929, famous New York stockbroker Bill Wilson crashes with the stock market and becomes a hope-less drunk. Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon from Ohio, has also been an alcoholic for thirty years, often going into the operating room with a hangover. Through an astonishing series of events, the two men are brought together and, realizing that “the only thing that can keep a drunk sober is telling his story to an-other drunk,” forge a relationship. They help each other stay sober, and then pass on what they’ve learned to others. This drama that rides on humor, not only tells the extraordinary story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous—which many studies, often from the Division of Substance Abuse at NYU School of Medicine, have shown is the most effective long-term treatment of this disease because of its emphasis on connection and community—but it also goes to the heart of what the practice of medicine is all about: the risk of isolation, and the healing power of good connection. Nearly eight decades later, having never promoted itself, AA spans over 170 countries, with an estimated total of over 114,000 groups and more than two million members worldwide.



Having been presented around the world and in over 35 states in the U.S., Bill W.and Dr. Bob has been lauded by critics and audiences alike.