Originally Posted by
MsCooterBrown 
You know Whodathunk...good idea. I really will look into the on line AA. My biggest thing is not wanting to do it here. Not because I think no one knows I drink. But I don't need to share the trauma with the town. Some of it is shoved down so deep that only I can deal with it. And after thinking about it...I had to edit to say ...and I am not dealing with it very well..Thanks...will look into it.
MCB, we don't keep our secrets, our secrets keep us. A friend of mine with 30+ years sobriety likes to say that he had no problem staggering down the street with puke on his shoes, but the thought of people seeing him walk into a church basement - horrors!
You don't have to say anything at a meeting, you can choose to do that solely with your sponsor. As to what "those people" might think and say if they saw you in an AA meeting: they are in exactly the same boat - trying to get and stay sober while living in a small town where everyone knows everything.
I felt the same way, and would never have gone unless I was truly desperate. The sad truth of our disease is that either we reach out to someone for help, or we die alone. The only unknown is how long it takes for option 2 to play out.
Wishing you a life that's happy, joyous, and free.