Welcome to the site Seabreeze. You'll find a heck of a lot of support here from a wide variety of people from all over the world, who all have one common desire. To stay sober and live a happy and fulfilling life. I seems that you have already made a great start in admitting to yourself that you have a problem. And it is a problem that will only get worse if you continue on your current path.
You don't have to own up to the world and his wife. Just by posting on here has opened up many wonderful possibilities for you. In time, should you wish to, you could talk to your family, but that's in the future. For now you need to instigate a plan of action. Your addiction needs to be accepted, not fought (because if you are like me you will not win that fight). It never sleeps and keeps itself in prime condition! accepting that, for you, alcohol and other drugs place you in a very perilous position, and that you are powerless over your addiction is the 1st step to recovery. You are very fortunate that you have reached this point so early in your life, and you can save yourself untold misery if you begin your sobriety now.
Stopping drinking and using is but a beginning. It is living without drink or drugs that is the challenging bit. Not because you will be missing out on anything, but because you have taken mood and mind altering substances for a reason. Maybe for many reasons. If you are anything like me you will recognize how anger, resentment, pride, jealously, envy, self pity, selfishness, lust etc affects you on a daily basis. Drinking is a symptom of deeper issues for me. maybe it's that way for you as well. It is very hard to recover alone.
Don't worry about the religious issue of AA. I went for 10 years and am not a believer in any traditional concepts of religion. I would recommend AA if only to have contact with other recovering people.
All the best.