Originally Posted by
Lonewolf22 
I guess it depends on what is available to you in terms of services in your area. If AA is the only one then go to the meetings and then just do your own research on how to see alcoholism/ drink disorders theoretically.
I am not sure I could cope with an AA meeting now. I just feel discussions were limited to the context of AA premises. Like I felt you weren't able to explore an issue or query because you begin to expect what response you will get back (most of the time).
You are kind of told simply what to do rather than exploring what options to take. Many say that if you leave AA you will fall back to drink but that is not due to AA being super effective for everyone but the fact people only have AA to go to. So if they stop going there, they have nothing.
It's tricky, I do see good things in AA too but it is not for everyone. I think people want a definite answer of how best to recover and I don't think there is.
Many, many reasons play a part, sometimes the individuals fault, sometimes not.
I found the common sense approach in the text
Living Sober a big help when I joined AA.
..there is no prescribed AA "right" way or "wrong" way. Each of us uses what is best for himself or herself—without closing the door on other kinds of help we may find valuable at another time. And each of us tries to respect others' rights to do things differently. Sometimes, an AA member will talk about taking the various parts of the program in cafeteria style—selecting what he likes and letting alone what he does not want. Maybe others will come along and pick up the unwanted parts—or maybe that member himself will go back later and take some of the ideas he previously rejected.
However, it is good to remember the temptation in a cafeteria to pick up nothing but a lot of desserts or starches or salads or some other food we particularly like. It serves as an important reminder to us to keep a balance in our lives.
In recovering from alcoholism, we found that we needed a balanced diet of ideas, even if some of them did not look, at first, as enjoyable as others. Like good food, good ideas did us no good unless we made intelligent use of them. And that leads to our second caution.
B. Use your common sense. We found that we have to use plain everyday intelligence in applying the suggestions that follow.
Like almost any other ideas, the suggestions in this booklet can be misused. For example, take the notion of eating candy. Obviously, alcoholics with diabetes, obesity, or blood-sugar problems have had to find substitutes, so they would not endanger their health, yet could still get the benefit of the candy-eating idea in recovery from alcoholism. (Many nutritionists favor protein-rich snacks over sweets as a general practice.) Also, it's not good for anybody to overdo this remedy. We should eat balanced meals in addition to the candy.
Another example is the use of the slogan "Easy Does It." Some of us have found that we could abuse this sensible notion, turning it into an excuse for tardiness, laziness, or rudeness. That is not, of course, what the slogan is intended for. Properly applied, it can be healing; misapplied, it can hinder our recovery. Some among us would add to it: "'Easy Does It'—but do it!"
It's clear that we have to use our intelligence in following any advice. Every method described here needs to be used with good judgment http://aaposigintergrouptrinidad.org...ving-Sober.pdf