Definify.com

Definition 2024


friend_of_Bill_W.

friend of Bill W.

English

Noun

friend of Bill W. (plural friends of Bill W.)

  1. (idiomatic, euphemistic) A recovering alcoholic, especially one who is a member of the organization Alcoholics Anonymous.
    • 1994 May 31, "Obituary: Middletown BRIAN EDWARD CRAWFORD‎," Providence Journal (USA), p. D10:
      He was a friend of Bill W. and had just celebrated Ten Years of Sobriety.
    • 2003 Feb. 23, Lynne Margolis, "Delbert McClinton rocks the boat for music lovers," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (retrieved July 8, 2011):
      The Sandy Beaches cruise offers Alcoholics Anonymous meetings billed simply as Friends of Bill W.
    • 2004, Jack Canfield et al., Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, ISBN 9780757302039, p. 49:
      Most people in recovery know that asking if you are a friend of Bill W. is an anonymous way to identify yourself as a member of AA.

Usage notes

  • Because of the stigma attached to alcoholism, and Alcoholics Anonymous' commitment to protecting the identities of its members, the phrase is a furtive shibboleth for individuals to identify themselves as members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
  • Often used in eulogies and obituaries when the deceased person was a recovering alcoholic.

References