Welcome, maverick. I too struggled for years, and not just with AA but with recoveryism in general. I kept looking, hoping, and waiting for that magic switch that was going to make me sober. For some reason, last year I decided to declutter my mind from all that recovery knowledge and get back to basics. If I don't drink, then I won't get drunk. There was no need to make it an epic struggle. There was no need to devote a lot of time to quitting. For me, I don't drink and I get on with rebuilding my life.
If you haven't had a chance, this thread is a great read:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ined-long.html