In AA i presume you have noticed people that have significant length of sobriety and seem happy with it? Why don't you ask one of them how they did it?
You haven't given AA a go in the same way i didn't when i first went there when i was 21...i then proceeded to move through the various other routes to recovery, you name them i went to them all "gave them a go" and went back to drinking...you can waste years doing this...
Implying you can do this by yourself is not good advice at all!