friend of Bill W.

• friend of Bill, friend of Bill's

An allusion to William Griffith Wilson (1895–1971), known as “Bill W.”, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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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”, in Providence Journal, USA, page D10:

     He was a friend of Bill W. and had just celebrated Ten Years of Sobriety.

   • 2003 February 23, Lynne Margolis, “Delbert McClinton rocks the boat for music lovers”, in 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, page 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.

• 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, or to identify Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on schedules, etc.
• Often used in eulogies and obituaries when the deceased person was a recovering alcoholic.

• friend of Dorothy

• “friend of Bill W.”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.