Hi Bungle
i tried AA in the past, but can't handle the self-flagellation and platitudes that are repeated almost like a mantra.
When you say you tried AA, how long ago was this, and how long did you give it?
I ask this because I went to one meeting and thought that it couldn't work for me. I went to another meeting nearly four years later when my life was shot to bits and kept going until I learned a bit about alcoholism. After that I kept going because it was working for me, despite all the bits I didn't understand, or disagreed with.
This week I celebrated a year sober.
Before that the longest period of sobriety I had for over 23 years was about a month.
Perhaps if you put your preconceptions to one side for a while and gave AA another try you would find that what you saw as "self-flagellation and platitudes" is actually honesty and simple wisdom.
Whatever you choose I wish you well.
Michael