Hey - in my four years, I have tried - in no order, some at same time, whatever - SMART, RR, the book The Easy Way to Quit Drinking ( i think that's right), Buddhism, returning to Catholicism (mass, confession), controlled drinking, many other self-help things. All helped me to get to what I now want - which is the spritual path that AA offers. I didn't want that at first, then I started to see how cool it felt and chased it - like I do any good buzz! The right meetings and sponsor have made AA make sense. But the journey to recovery is very personal. Doing a personal inventory blew my mind - a real turning point for me. Good luck!