I have been to meetings elsewhere, and thought there were differences, the essential positions of AA seemed to be the same. It is only on SR that I find claims of groups with a very different approach.
I have always maintained that AA is the best place to start recovery. It gave me a vision of what recovery can be. It guided me toward articulating the principles which still guide my recovery. And I continue to recommend AA to people who come to me for advice on recovery.
However, it was damaging to my recovery that I could not share my experience in the program. It made me feel very alone and afraid that there was no one who shared anything similar to what I was going through. I thought there was something wrong with me, because everyone else was talking about how joyous, happy and free they were. I thought there must be something wrong with me because I kept asking for help even though I kept getting yelled at for it.
I expected recovery to be like it was in the Big Book and thought that I must be someone naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty, because clearing out my sponsor's garage did not help my recovery. I felt that my chances of recovery were nil.
I think back on what I needed to hear when I was a newcomer and it was what I write---that there is hope even if AA does not fit. If someone has experience different then mine, they will probably think I am crazy and move on. But for someone who has had experience like mine, they need to know they are not alone.
I do not want anyone to feel the hopelessness and despair I felt. One of the gifts of AA was that it taught me the importance of sharing one's experience. It is by identifying with the experience of others that we find recovery. If my experience is different than yours, then you can move on. (Take what you need and leave the rest.)