The first meeting officially named Alcoholics Anonymous took place in Cleveland, Ohio, marking a critical turning point in the early history of the recovery movement. This meeting wasn’t just another gathering of alcoholics seeking sobriety—it was a bold departure from the Oxford Group, a religious movement that many early AA members had initially been part of.
The Cleveland meeting, led by Clarence Snyder, represented the breakaway that would shape the future of AA. Despite opposition from the Oxford Group, which tried to prevent the meeting from happening, the Cleveland fellowship took a stand, establishing the identity of Alcoholics Anonymous as separate from its religious roots.
A Break from the Oxford Group
In the late 1930s, many early AA members, including founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, had roots in the Oxford Group, a Christian fellowship that emphasized spiritual transformation. While the Oxford Group offered a framework for spiritual living, many alcoholics found that it didn’t fully address the specific needs of those struggling with alcoholism. The group’s religious dogma and rigid moral expectations often alienated people who desperately needed help.
Clarence Snyder was one such person. After achieving sobriety through Dr. Bob’s help in Akron, Snyder felt increasingly restricted by the Oxford Group’s practices and saw a need for a more focused approach. He believed alcoholics needed a program tailored to them—a way to achieve sobriety without being tied to the strict religious doctrine of the Oxford Group.
Snyder returned to Cleveland determined to start a new fellowship—one that would be explicitly called Alcoholics Anonymous, based on the principles outlined in the recently published Big Book. This was a bold move, as the Oxford Group still had a significant presence among sober circles, and many felt that breaking away would be divisive. But Snyder and his supporters were determined.
The Showdown: Oxford Group Opposition
In May 1939, the stage was set for the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Cleveland. Snyder and a few others gathered at a local home for what they hoped would be the beginning of something new—a fellowship specifically for alcoholics, no longer under the banner of the Oxford Group.
However, word of the planned meeting had spread, and members of the Oxford Group, fearing a split, showed up uninvited. They attempted to stop the meeting, arguing that leaving the Oxford Group was a mistake and that the alcoholics should stay under its guidance. This confrontation highlighted the growing tension between those who wanted AA to remain part of the Oxford Group and those, like Snyder, who believed it was time for alcoholics to forge their own path.
Despite the opposition, Snyder stood firm. The meeting went on, and it became the first official gathering of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland. It was a decisive moment that solidified AA’s identity as a distinct and autonomous organization.
Cleveland’s Growth Under Clarence Snyder
Once the group had broken free from the Oxford Group, it grew quickly. Snyder’s determination and organizational skills helped the Cleveland AA chapter flourish. He encouraged members to follow the teachings of the Big Book and emphasized personal accountability in sobriety.
Cleveland quickly became a hub for AA, in no small part due to Snyder’s leadership. His direct approach to sponsoring new members and his insistence on spreading the message of AA helped Cleveland become the fastest-growing AA community at the time. Under Snyder, the Cleveland group expanded rapidly, hosting multiple meetings across the city and sponsoring hundreds of alcoholics.
Clarence Snyder’s Bold Move and Controversial Ousting
Despite his success, Clarence Snyder’s boldness led to controversy. Seeking to further spread the message of Alcoholics Anonymous, Snyder took an unprecedented step: he invited a reporter from the Cleveland Plain Dealer to attend an AA meeting. Snyder believed that media exposure would bring more attention to the group and help reach alcoholics who desperately needed the program.
However, his decision conflicted with AA’s tradition of anonymity. Many members feared public exposure, especially in a time when alcoholism was highly stigmatized. When the reporter attended the meeting and published a story about AA, members were furious. The article brought unwanted attention to the fellowship, violating the core principle of anonymity that protected members’ privacy.
The backlash was swift. Snyder was asked to leave the very meeting he had started. While his intentions had been to grow the fellowship, many felt that his actions put the group’s safety and integrity at risk. The incident became a defining moment for AA in Cleveland, reflecting the delicate balance between reaching new members and protecting the anonymity of those already in the fellowship.
Snyder’s Legacy
Though Clarence Snyder was ousted from the first Cleveland AA meeting, his contributions to the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous were significant. His determination to separate from the Oxford Group and his efforts to build a new, independent fellowship helped Cleveland become one of the most successful AA chapters in the country.
Even after his removal from the meeting, Snyder remained an influential figure in AA, sponsoring thousands of people and continuing to spread the message of recovery. His legacy is a reminder of the tensions that shaped the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, and how the movement grew despite challenges, both internal and external.
The first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Cleveland stands as a pivotal moment in the history of the fellowship—a meeting that marked the official departure from the Oxford Group and the beginning of a new era for alcoholics seeking sobriety on their own terms.
