Hi blitz,
Here in my area of No. California, U.S., we have two beginner's meetings on Thurs. and Sun. night. The format of these meetings encourages multiple shares and crosstalk. You are allowed to do this if you have 6 months or less of sobriety for the Thurs. meeting and 1 year for the Sunday meeting. This is in contrast to most AA meetings in which there is no crosstalk allowed and you are supposed to share just once (an unwritten "rule"). These beginner's meetings are very free form and people speak from the heart about their experiences in early recovery. I attend these and also traditional AA meetings. One of my favorites is a Big Book study in which we take turns reading the Big Book and then discuss the significance of what we have read in relation to our own lives. I have gotten a lot out of these. Also there are activities which do not occur in meetings, but most definitely can follow them. Most important here is working the steps with a sponsor. I just did my first step oficially with my sponsor tonight and have a reading assignment before doing my second step.
I know AA is not for everyone, and I think that it is great if someone can find other ways of not drinking, but I am personally plum out of options and have decided I can't run the show anymore. I give up.