36 / 100 live lo c a l p ro fi l e by joy holden ? a lcoholics anonymous (a.a.) taught me how to live. the spiritual solution this program taught me has held up to every problem i have encountered over the last 14 years. i never have to drink again and neither does any other alcoholic?and that is an actual, literal miracle,? nikki, a mom of two, says. a.a. has been changing lives for over 80 years. founded in 1935 by bill w. and dr. bob, the two men modeled the program on the oxford group, a religious movement that practiced self-improvement by performing self- inventory, admitting wrongs, making amends, and using prayer. within a few years, bill and dr. bob developed the twelve step program and wrote alcoholics anonymous , commonly known as the big book, which is still read by a.a. members. the a.a. preamble, also read at