WELCOME TO THE CHRISTOPHER D. SMITHERS FOUNDATION,
INC.
"Alcoholism is a respectable disease, from
which people can and do recover." -
R. Brinkley Smithers
For over 50 years the Christopher D. Smithers
Foundation, Inc. has concentrated its efforts on educating the public
that alcoholism is a respectable, treatable disease from which people
can and do recover; encouraging prevention programs and activities,
with an emphasis on high risk populations; and continually fighting
to reduce and eliminate the stigma that is associated with the disease
of alcoholism.
The Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, Inc.
was founded in 1952 by R. Brinkley Smithers in memory of his late father.
Originally, the purpose of the Foundation was to carry on the charitable
activities pursued by Mr. Christopher D. Smithers during his lifetime.
However, after attending the Yale School of Alcohol Studies in 1956,
R. Brinkley Smithers decided that the family charitable foundation should
concentrate on alcoholism, and educating the public that alcoholism
is a disease.
When the Foundation made its first alcoholism
grant of $1,000 to the National Committee on Alcoholism (now the National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) in 1955, there were almost
no organizations or individuals interested in dealing with this serious,
frequently fatal illness. Among the nation's charitable foundations,
any major interest in such a stigmatized illness was considered undignified!
Over the past 50 years, the late R. Brinkley
Smithers, current President Adele C. Smithers-Fornaci and the Foundation
have worked tirelessly to remove the stigma attached to alcoholism,
and to encourage others to join in the fight against it.
It is safe to say that not a single area relating
to alcoholism has not been touched by the generosity of R. Brinkley
Smithers. From the clergy to the court system; from the police force
to the labor movement; and from the destitute to the wealthy - alcoholism
is an equal opportunity disease, but thanks to the Smithers Foundation
and its pioneer philanthropist, Americans are doing something about
it.
More information about the history of the Foundation
is available on the Smithers Foundation History page.
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
The Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, its President
Adele C. Smithers-Fornaci, her son Christopher B. Smithers, and the
board of directors of the foundation would like to make it clear that
they are in no way associated with the treatment program bearing the
Smithers name at Beth Israel/St. Luke's-Roosevelt hospital.
The Christopher D. Smithers Foundation's philosophy
and mission is rooted in the conviction that alcoholism is a disease
that requires abstinence-based treatment, and that controlled drinking
under any name, whether it be "moderation management" or "harm reduction",
is not possible where the disease of alcoholism exists.
The Smithers Foundation will make available one
of its best-selling publications without charge. For a free copy of
"Experimentation: The Fallacy of Controlled Drinking Where Alcoholism
Exists", please write to:
THE CHRISTOPHER D. SMITHERS FOUNDATION, INC.
Box 67
Mill Neck, NY
11765
... or send an email containing your name and
address to info@smithersfoundation.org, and we'll send it directly to
you.
