Hi all, wanted to pick your brains to see if anyone can relate to my current place in sobriety. I’ve been in and out of AA for almost 6 years now, and have gained many amazing things from it. However, there are some parts of it that I struggle with. I currently find myself wanting to go back, but also taking issue with some of it and so I feel as though I’m not welcome. A lot of those whom I’ve met in AA are.. extreme. At least about needing to do AA a certain way and to a certain degree. Anyone else experience this?
Please don’t use this post as a means of shaming, guilting, or judging - as I said I have gained a lot from AA but nothing is without its flaws.
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I had the same experience. I’ve been thinking about giving it another try also. I guess it couldn’t hurt.
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I’ve have the exact same story, as I have been in and out for 5 years. From my personal experience it’s not really looking at the differences but the things you have in common can really help you take strides in your sobriety. There’s good and bad folks in all aspects of life. My suggestions are below:
-Have an open mind
-Go to multiple in person meetings until you find a few that you like
-listen to what they say, and if you find someone that you can connect with, ask them to be your sponsor and to take you through the twelve steps
- Decide on a home group which is a place you would like to have a meeting at every week (think if this as your safe place)
Hope this helps! 
& best of luck with your journey!
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I'm in AA, and I am an atheist. I don't believe in any sort of god, supernaturality, spirituality etc. My sponsor is an old school guy, but not rigid. I live here in Cleveland which is the birthplace of AA and we have alot of old school meetings where they poke you in the chest etc. Fück that. I don't go to those.
The main thing about AA, to me, is the friendships, the buddy system. I get the ideas behind the steps, but I feel like largely the prayers are complete nonsense. But it works for other people, and that's fine. I have a few agnostic meetings that' I go to here, and I still go to the regular AA meetings too. I just don't focus too much on the things I simply don't believe in, and I'm not gonna do mental gymnastics to make the christians feel warm and fuzzy.
Be true to you.
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look for the similarities not the differences. at the end of the day we are all striving to stay sober and the only requirement for membership is a desire to not drink. 
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The best thing I ever heard in AA is “take what you need and leave the rest”
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Congratulations on your sobriety. I do my best to let it all go. I get bothered by other’s intolerance and close mindedness, and I need to constantly remind myself that I must be tolerant of them. It’s an ongoing battle to love and accept them without having it bother me. They are not right, I’m not right…there is no right. It can be exhausting at times, but I’ve met some really great people, and the program and fellowship have changed my life. I need a program or I’m a mess lol. Find a few like minded peeps and let go of all the rest…as much as you can
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Hi, Allie-
I am so glad that brought up what you have.
I have not been to an AA meeting in forever.
( Thursday will mark two years of sobriety for me-so I would like to go and collect my coin / chip ).
While I will probably order my own, as well.
My one year chip was kinda f u g l y😆…and I had to wait like uh, 20 minutes for one to be retrieved from like some other office, head scratch-and chuckling.
Anyway!
It is helpful to read what others have shared here.
So are you leaning towards giving it another go?
I never did find a group that spoke to me.
And not for lack of trying.
Wishing you well as you decide, Allie!
-glad that you brought up ( typo ), b l e r g.
I hope that your week is off to a positive start!
I can feel this. Have you tried different groups? I just started going back to a new group that I like a lot more than the one I was going to.
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I would say keep trying
Further I would say just go whole hog and jump in. Try it completely, put the reservations aside and just do it. That way, if it doesn’t work then you can truly know that you did it exactly as advertised and it didn’t work. Then try something else.
Best case scenario it works.
Worse case scenario it doesn’t and you gained experience. It’s a win win.