Originally Posted by
YoungAndClean 
Being chained to AA meetings can feel like trading addictions. .... In other words, without AA you are screwed. .... AA may be a much healthier addiction and way of life that can't compare to drinking/using, but I get how you feel and somedays I'm not too thrilled about having to do a bunch of stuff just to stop drinking. A simple thing should be simple.....But what is our alternative?
While getting and staying sober is like this for some, it most certainly is not like this for all of us. There are many alternatives to AA and 12 step programs, and 'working a strong program' need not have anything at all to do with going to AA meetings, or with AA at all.
I went to meetings and read the BB, and after that I too decided that another route was necessary for me. I am sober now without AA, and I went through a realization on my own similar to
How to Quit Drinking without Alcoholics Anonymous: 5 steps and then came to understand that this was AVRT.
SoberRecovery has a forum for discussion of SMART, SoS, LifeRing and AVRT called Secular Connections, and it's for all those other ways of getting and staying sober. There is also information about AVRT at RationalRecovery.
There is only one thing that we must do to stop drinking or using, and this is to stop. It most certainly is simple, and whether it is easy or not is up to you.