Hi 1step
what I don't know about AA and sponsors could fill a room...but I'm glad you're getting a lot of advice here
What I will say is don't wait until you have all these things settled - you can stop drinking now and stay that way. I had to stop thinking of drinking as my solution.
It was tough facing things sober, but everytime I did I got a little stronger and a little bit more capable.
there's a ton of support here at SR - use it as much as you like
you can do this
D