Reader’s Digest - My Return From the Half-World of Alcoholism from January 1946
Reader’s Digest — January 1946
Featuring: “My Return from the Half-World of Alcoholism” by Dick Barmity (pp. 31–34)
Offered here is a vintage January 1946 issue of Reader’s Digest featuring the important early recovery article “My Return from the Half-World of Alcoholism” by Dick Barmity, an early member of Alcoholics Anonymous. For collectors of A.A. history and mid-century recovery ephemera, this is the kind of mainstream appearance that helped carry the message far beyond meeting rooms and city directories.
Originally published in the December 1945 issue of The AA Grapevine, Barmity’s account became one of the earliest widely-circulated personal testimonies of A.A. recovery to reach a mass audience. In vivid, first-hand detail, he describes the isolation and desperation of active alcoholism—and the turning point that came through Alcoholics Anonymous, including daily correspondence by mail with A.A. Headquarters in New York City. At a time when A.A. was still new to the public, this story offered something rare in popular print: a clear, hopeful narrative of sobriety and change.
Item Details
- Publication: Reader’s Digest
- Issue Date: January 1946
- Publisher: The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York
- Featured Article: “My Return from the Half-World of Alcoholism” by Dick Barmity
- Article Pages: 31–34
Condition
This vintage issue is in good condition for its age. The cover shows light edge wear and mild wear along the spine. Binding remains solid and all pages are intact with no tears or missing leaves. Paper shows light, expected age toning.
Please review all photos for the most accurate representation of condition.
Collector / Historical Note
Articles like this helped introduce Alcoholics Anonymous to the broader public in the 1940s—when the Fellowship was still relatively unknown outside certain cities. This particular piece stands as an early example of A.A. recovery reaching a national audience through one of the era’s most widely read publications, making it a meaningful and highly displayable collectible for Grapevine and A.A. history collections.
