SALUTE Magazine — August 1948 | “13 Steps to Alcoholism — Which One Are You On?”
Offered here is the August 1948 issue of SALUTE: The Picture Magazine for Men, featuring the cover story “13 Steps to Alcoholism — Which One Are You On?”
Published during the early years of Alcoholics Anonymous, this issue is especially interesting for its connection to The A.A. Grapevine and pioneering alcoholism researcher E. M. Jellinek.
The article explains that its source was a questionnaire published in The A.A. Grapevine and answered by members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Those responses were later studied by Dr. Jellinek of Yale’s Section of Studies on Alcohol and helped inform his early work on the progression of alcoholism.
SALUTE presented that research to a broader popular audience as a thirteen-stage progression of alcoholism, beginning with ordinary drinking and moving through blackouts, loss of control, solitary drinking, benders, remorse, and finally the need to seek help.
Importantly, these “13 Steps” are not the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. They are the magazine’s presentation of progressive drinking patterns drawn from contemporary alcoholism research.
The article is also notable for directly mentioning Alcoholics Anonymous as a source of help, making this an interesting example of A.A. appearing in mainstream American media in 1948—only thirteen years after the Fellowship’s beginnings and while the First Edition Big Book was still in publication.
Publication Details
Magazine: SALUTE: The Picture Magazine for Men
Issue: Vol. 3, No. 7
Date: August 1948
Cover Price: 25 Cents
Publisher: Vet Publishers, Inc.
Featured Article: “13 Steps to Alcoholism — Which One Are You On?”
Article Pages: 6–8
Condition
This original 1948 magazine is in good condition for its age.
The covers show handling and edge wear, including rubbing, creasing, small tears, and losses. The spine shows substantial wear and splitting, with evidence of old reinforcement or repair.
The interior pages show expected age toning but remain readable. The featured “13 Steps to Alcoholism” article is complete across pages 6–8.
Please review all photographs carefully for the exact condition of the magazine being offered.
Collector Significance
This issue brings together several important threads in early recovery history: Alcoholics Anonymous, The A.A. Grapevine, E. M. Jellinek’s alcoholism research, and the growing public awareness of alcoholism as a progressive condition.
For collectors of early A.A. history, alcoholism research, recovery literature, or vintage periodicals, this is an unusual and historically interesting piece from the formative years of the modern recovery movement.
