Welcome back wvu
I'm not in AA but I want to make a few points - I have atheist friends in AA, and buddhist (and gay ones) too, so I figure it's not simply 'a christian' thing.
Secondly, if AA's not a good fit, that's absolutely no reason not to look for something that does. There are sticky links in the alcoholism forum for other recovery programmes.
Be careful with that bar thing - I stayed away from bars for a long time. Still rare to find me in one.
D