Greetings Taco!
My first question for you is "Do you live in a fairly large metropolitan area?" If so, then you are fortunate in probably having a relatively large variety of AA groups to choose from. Some are likely to be more "traditional" than others. Some persons, myself included, have had some issues with groups which seemed, to us at least, to rely too exclusively on the Big Book and not on a great deal of other literature available from the AA Central Office. The latter seem to take a broad view that AA is for everyone, including even agnostics (which I am not) or atheists (again, not me). And the program is also for believers in many religions besides Christianity. Furthermore, and this is where AA folks may differ a lot among themselves, the steps are all voluntary, like the program itself is voluntary.
Some folks say that a person will never achieve permanant sobriety without strictly doing all the steps and following a sponsor's requirements to the letter. I've been going to AA for 22 years, sometimes often, sometimes not so often. I'm really not sure whether I've done all the steps. I figure I may have done some steps more than once, others I'm not so sure about. And I've had my best luck with an agnostics group although I'm neither an agnostic nor an atheist.
So I've been sober for 22 years come October. Have I really been on a 22 year old "dry drunk" for all those years for not having taken AA literally enough? All you out there! Be my guest! Say anything that comes to your mind. I really don't care what you call me! I haven't had a drink for 22 years. I have no desire to drink. I don't get up each morning and say, "Please God help me not to drink today!" I can serve drinks to friends without feeling tempted myself. And I'm very very happy. I'm also infinitely grateful to AA for having saved my life, my sanity, and for having rescued me from the slavery of alcohol. I'm 83 years of age, with nearly 22 years of not drinking, 22 years when I've been happier than I've ever been before. I'm always aware that I might relapse but don't bet on it. You'd do much better out in Las Vegas.
For the rest of my thoughts, and some of my experience, you may wish to check out my homesite (click on my name in the left hand margin of this message). The homesite is under a pseudonym. hmcclay.org.
All I can say to this, is "Welcome aboard!" Give AA your best shot, get from it what you can (and that's a lot, believe me!). Don't get too frustrated with a need to do everything that everyone tells you to do (but be careful nonetheless- the body is apt to play tricks with your mind, at least for the first few years. It wants, thinks it needs, that booze back because it's grown so accustomed to it over the years, adapting all of its little opioid receptors to operate in an alcohol environment. Watch your body and as they say in the spy business, watch your back. Be careful, try to choose the AA group, and hopefully the sponsor, that's right for you, and lets hope that things turn out the way for you that they seemed to have turned out for me. Good luck.
W.
Last edited by wpainterw; 08-31-2010 at 06:25 PM.
Reason: Typo; delete word