I'm shy and not religious so it's hard for me to accept AA's terms. That's how I ended up seeking out this site.
If you start out by going to open speaker meetings, you don't have to participate at all. Just sit back, relax, and listen. Although God is mentioned, AA is actually more a spiritual than religious program. The disease of alcoholism doesn't discriminate, and neither does AA.
Once you become more comfortable at meetings, you can branch out and try other meeting formats. But, there is no need to rush your recovery process...AA has been around a long time, and I doubt it's going anywhere.
I just read ClimbingUp's post, and it's gratifying to see her already sharing her experience, strength, and hope with another newcomer. 
That is one of the important tenets of AA...and, it works.
After many years of sobriety through AA, I'm no longer able to attend regular meetings...so, Sober Recovery has now become my connection with other alcoholics. Please continue to read/post here...I wish you well in your recovery.