[1] Johnson's main achievements lie in the field of treatment of chemical dependency, especially alcoholism.
[2][3] As a Minnesota Episcopal priest, Johnson encouraged the incorporation of faith into the treatment and he convinced many churches to provide space for recovering alcoholics' support group meetings.
[citation needed] Johnson was also a member of faculty of the Rutgers University Summer School for Alcohol Studies.
[citation needed] In 1966, he co-founded (along with Irene and Wheelock Whitney) the Johnson Institute,[4] which aims to provide early intervention and help employers deal with employee drinking.
[2][7] Johnson also wrote several books about the treatment of chemical dependency, the most famous being I'll Quit Tomorrow.