I'm embarrassed to post this. I had an incredibly stupid misconception of AA.
All my life, my only experience with AA was through friends and family. The only reason any of them went to AA was because the courts sent them there for drinking and driving. It was described to me as a court-run drunk drivers program.
So when my alcoholism progressed and I hit my most desperate point, AA never crossed my mind.
Before putting a bullet in my head, I wanted to make sure I tried everything. I didn't want to put my family through that grief unless it was truly the only way out.
I found the Big Book online at AA's website. Skipped the Doctor's Opinion because doctors are full of ****, and "opinions" are worthless. Bill's Story was difficult for a college-aged single chick to identify with, until this part:
Originally Posted by Big Book 1st Ed
No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. I had met my match. I had been overwhelmed. Alcohol was my master.
OMG. Someone finally understood me! I read on and found out that I didn't have to die. There is a solution. For the first time, I wasn't alone anymore. And I've never been alone since.
Again, it was an incredibly stupid misconception of AA, but a misconception nonetheless.
I'm not sure if the courts' use of AA may cause misconceptions for other people.