I went to my first AA meeting in April of 1990. I really liked going to meetings and being around other people who understood me. Even people talking about God didn't bother me. I grew up going to church, and even though I had stopped going and had become somewhat of an agnostic by then that part of the program didn't bother me.
But for some reason being honest with myself...looking at the things about myself I needed to change in order to live a reasonably happy life without alcohol was something I was either unable or unwilling to do. So I never took the steps, which IS the program of AA.
My sobriety date is April of 2013...23 years after attending my first AA meeting. 23 years of on and off sobriety, wasted opportunities, pain and suffering, and nearly death towards the end, all because I couldn't (or wouldn't) get on board with taking the steps.
This time I stopped looking for faults in the program, swallowed my pride and became willing to go to any lengths to stay sober. Many people say that AA was the last house on the block for them. It turned out to be the last house on the block for me too, even though it had been the first house on the block 23 years ago.
Looking back honestly I think it wouldn't have mattered which recovery program I had chosen to get/stay sober back in 1990, because deep down I was unwilling to swallow my ego and pride and thought I could fix myself. In hindsight maybe I was one of those unfortunates that were constitutionally incapable (at the time) of being honest with myself. Probably not though, because when the four horsemen started showing up at my doorstep every morning I was finally able to thoroughly follow the path of AA's suggested program.