Alcoholics Anonymous

The bond between Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, two "buddies on the stormy sea of booze," led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. The story of Wilson's struggle for sobriety is told in "My Name Is Bill W.," a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" drama airing Sunday at 9 p.m. on ABC (Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42). James Woods portrays Wilson and James Garner plays Smith. The actors previously co-starred as brothers in "Promise," an Emmy Award-winning 1986 TV movie. JoBeth Williams plays Wilson's wife.

When William Eskandari decided to change the name of his family-run liquor store in Glendale, he wanted something that would stand out from dozens of other, similar stores in town. He succeeded. As of 2005, the business has been known as Hammered Liquor. "Everybody laughs at it. They like it. People drive by and they see the name, and they come in and ask for T-shirts and caps," Eskandari said. "I'm thinking in the future we'll probably get some to sell." Not far from Los Angeles International Airport is another liquor store with a name that gets noticed, but not in the way the original owners intended.

For the second time this summer, state Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles) has entered an alcohol rehabilitation center, a spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem David Roberti (D-Los Angeles) confirmed Friday. Steven Glazer said the 57-year-old Greene checked into a Southern California clinic shortly before the Legislature ended its summer recess Monday. "I do not know his return. I expect him to be here for the end of the session," Glazer quoted Roberti as saying.

As the number of unlicensed alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers known to be practicing "aversion therapy"--which is under investigation in at least four deaths--grew to more than 50 Friday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors scheduled a hearing on the centers.

Soviet drinkers heard advice on how to stay sober at the first meeting in the Soviet Union of Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the organizers said Saturday. American alcohol counselor J.W. Canty told reporters that the group discussed such problems as how to keep off drink and that the first AA literature in Russian was also passed around at the meeting, held earlier this week. Kremlin leader Mikhail S.

Recovering from alcoholism is similar to recovering from cancer: People need to be symptom-free for five years to be out of danger of relapse, a study released in Chicago found. The study tracked the lives of 724 alcohol abusers for 50 years, researchers said. A surprising finding was that poor, inner-city alcoholics recovered at a higher rate than richer or more-educated alcoholics, presumably because the drinkers who were poor "hit bottom" faster.

Jack Kissell, 79, a character actor who was well known in the Alcoholics Anonymous movement in Los Angeles, died Nov. 12 at the Little Company of Mary Transitional Care Center in Torrance, his family said. He had Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Kissell had small parts on television, including appearances on the sitcom "Life With Bonnie," and in local theater productions. Born Sept. 24, 1930, Kissell grew up in South Bend, Ind., and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1952.