I first got sober in 2003 and stayed sober for 5 1/2 years. I didn't use a formal program, I just stopped. Looking back, I'm not really sure how I managed that. Then I thought I was ok and could drink again like a normal person. Wrong.
I spent most of the next year trying to get sober by myself again. Typically it was a 3 day binge followed by a couple of sober weeks, then another binge and and a few weeks of sobriety. This want on for about a year, I just couldn't do it by myself. I finally gave up and went to AA because I was desperate.
Although I'm not a hardcore AA person, the program and the fellowship of others made a huge difference for me. Now I'm approaching 5 years again, and I feel more solid in in my sobriety this time.