In Late 1981 and early 1982 the problem of pharmacists who were having problems with practice impairment due to chemical dependency was causing great concern at the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. The Minnesota Pharmacists Association responded to this problem by instituting a Committee to investigate what it could do for its members and on behalf of the profession. From the results of these actions and concerns, a freestanding organization was formed which became known as Pharmacists Aiding Pharmacists (PAP). It was to be independent of MBoP and MPHA. The model used that of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) and Dentists Concerned for Dentists (DCD) who were already fully operational. (Note the acronym PCP was considered, but discarded in lieu of meaning.)

By August 1982 the organization was in place, but having no funds or funding money remotely on the horizon; the idea of the volunteer staff was to form a support group meeting for the few known recovering pharmacists and students. This group has continued to meet as a support group every Wednesday night since that August of 1982. The full office and operations never came to be, but the volunteer help to others has never faltered to this day. We will, and have gone anywhere, at any time, to help another pharmacist or student get the help they need. We are an advocacy group for recovery from this disease of chemical dependency and other impairments to the licensing board.

As other states started to form like groups, the School for Alcoholism and other Drug Dependencies at the University of Utah, Pharmacy Section, became the "annual meeting place" for all these state programs. The section was and still is supported by the American Pharmaceutical Association Staff. The APhA has served as a helpful friend to these individual programs, from this loose association has evolved the Pharmacists Recovery Network (PRN), International Pharmacists Anonymous (IPA), PRN Memo, and an APha PinG on Addiction Pharmacy.