Natom

An AA meeting might benefit you. You will only find out if you go to one. You will be welcomed. I know many athiests and agnostics inside the rooms of AA and NA. Although the word God is thrown around a lot it is thrown around rather loosely. My higher power is not 'God' as defined by the Christian religion or any other religion. It took me a while to get over the religion thing but now I have I get a great deal from these meetings.

Natom.

ru12

It is my experience that AA meetings sometimes have a lot of God talk. Read the 12 steps and you will see what you are expected to do . . . an a lot of it has to do with God. And the meetings here in my area have a decidedly Christian flavor: ending the meetings with the Lord's Prayer (you can't get much more Christian than that). But, it is what it is.

When I went, I didn't say the Serenity Prayer and usually left when everyone was holding hands and saying the Lord's Prayer. Only a few people seemed a bit miffed that I didn't want to join. Most of the rest didn't pay me any attention one way or the other.

No one tried to get me to believe what they did. People were nice and friendly. They certainly seemed to care about me. And they were sober . . . and it really helped me to be in that room full of sober people.

You might want to give it a try and see if it helps you. Ignore the God talk and try to hear what the people did to get and stay sober. And if you decide that it isn't for you, there are lots of options as others have said. AA wasn't for me, but I am glad it is there for those it helps.

Threshold

Welcome to Sobriety!

I do 12 steps. I am not a Christian either. Many people of different faiths or no faith at all find sobriety in the 12 steps.

I can't forsee many circumstances in meetings when you would be called upon or pressured to either confirm or denounce a belief in God, or any other Higher Power.

Different home groups (groups in an area that sponsor meetings) have different leanings, so if you go to a meeting that you are not comfortable in, try out another.

The fact that an AA meeting is held in a church building does not mean that the church or faith has any affiliation other than that they lease or lend a room to a group for their use.

I admit, I've been to some meetings that felt particularly biased or supportive of a particular faith, and have chosen to attend other meetings instead, no harm, no foul.

Generally, faith affiliation or lack there of was a non issue.

12 step is a spiritual program, so the subject of Higher Power WILL come up, if you are really unwilling or unable to explore that at all (not a particular HP, but address within yourself the concept of what that might mean) then another program might be better for you.

I avoided 12 step for a long time because of the Higher Power issue, but some discussions with people here, as well as going to some meetings, helped me work through that.

Honesty, open mindedness and willingness.