Between 1968-1974, Alocholics Anonymous created a collection of 95 comic strips with a style reminiscent of Dan DeCarlo. In the first set of comics, we follow the story of Alice, a wife who turns to drink to deal with her absentee husband. And while much of the dialogue is quite melodramatic, these comics do not fail to intrigue.
At the top of the comic, you will see this was endorsed by Al-Anon. Make no mistake, Alcoholics Anonymous also propagated them.
There is some discussion on whether or not these are Alcoholics Anonymous items, or solely belong to Al-Anon. The answer is they are both. "It Happened to Alice" and "What Happened to Joe" originally appeared in the late 60s stamped as "A.A. General Service Conference — Approved" literature and were attributed to "Alcoholics Anonymous World Services" - "If Your Parents Drink Too Much" is also attributed to Alateen, the A.A. for teenagers. Of the four storylines, only "Jane's Husband Drinks Too Much" is independently "Al-Anon Conference Approved". Al-Anon is the support group for family members of alcoholics and is a direct organizational offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous - Ethan1968-1974 Alcoholics Anonymous comic strips
It never fails to amaze me how the zeitgeist of yesteryear can provide for much intrigue today.
1 comments:
Alice's husband Tom was a complete tool. What A.A. often doesn't realize that alcoholism is often a symptom of greater problems not the sole problem itself even though it is often a problem in of itself. Stopping drinking doesn't alone solve the other issues and A.A. realy doesn't care as long as the drinking has ceased. Such issues as Tom being a complete ass is overlooked. She should have ditched Tom and would have been better off. Instead she blamed herself since she had a drinking problem and now Tom is immune to being a neglectful husband because A.A. taught her that it was all her fault.
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