LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Lois Wilson: Bill Wilson
built 233 days ago
Near the bottom of her husband Bill's downward spiral into alcoholic hell, when he collapsed one night in a drunken stupor in the hallway of their Clinton Street, Brooklyn home, Lois Wilson felt she could bear no more. Pounding hysterically on his chest, she screamed out in despair:
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In 1939, Bill and Lois were forced to leave the Burnham's house. Her father had left the house to them several years earlier, yet they couldn't make the payments and the house was eventually foreclosed upon. For a while they rented the house from the bank, as the Depression was on and no one was buying. When the house was sold in 1939, the Wilsons could not afford to go anywhere except to the homes of various friends which they did for the following two years. Over the years Lois had been the breadwinner bringing in a modest income from her work in department stores as a decorator and ... from her consultations with private clients. While working at Macy's she wrote an article on veneered furniture that was published by the popular House and Garden magazine.
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The house takes its name from Lois Wilson, wife of Alcoholic’s Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. It is a home where women begin to learn to live life without alcohol or drugs. The Corporate name, Alfre, Inc., derives from the phrase ”alcohol free”, a condition the founders were striving to ensure. Over the years, Alfre has expanded its reach to other counties, but is now consolidated in the original location in Morris County.
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When Bill returned from the war, Lois hoped to start the family she always wanted. However, a series of ectopic pregnancies made childbearing impossible. This was devistating to Lois and she knew that Bill ... depserately wanted children. She and Bill tried to adopt, but they were unsuccessful. She later found out why -- agencies performing routine background checks would eventually be told about Bill's drinking that had been increasing heavily since they married.
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When Bill Wilson, with his friend Dr. Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for those who suffered from this disease. Thirty years after his death, AA continues to help millions of alcoholics recover from what had been commonly regarded as a hopeless addiction. Still, while Wilson was a visionary for millions, he was no saint. After cofounding Alcoholics Anonymous, he stayed sober for over thirty-five years, helping countless thousands rebuild their lives. But at the same time, Wilson suffered form debilitating bouts of clinical depression, was a womanizer, and experimented with LSD.
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Bill Wilson died in 1971 and Lois Wilson -- who founded Al-Anon, the organization for alcoholics' relatives -- set up the Stepping Stones Foundation in 1979. She died in 1988, and the house is maintained to look like it did when she and her husband lived in it.
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Bill Wilson