IS AA NECESSARY FOR SOBRIETY?

No. Obviously not. Participation in AA is not necessary for getting sober or maintaining sobriety. Throughout history a certain percentage of men and women have struggled with Alcoholism. There are references in the Bible and Psalms that praise the joys and evils of alcohol. Wine was used to consecrate the sacred, and the inappropriate use of alcohol could lead to the profane. A certain percentage of us throughout history have been on and off the wagon. John Wesley, from what I remember, made a name for himself in England getting his mates to quit drinking Gin. I imagine liquor had the same effect on the body back then as it does now. The meanings of drinking may have changed with time and place but the effects on the body are probably the same. Overall, I imagine, the drunk was usually a pathetic figure,overwhelmed by alcohol, out of control, and felt like shit physically and spiritually. Faced with loss of family, position, esteem created the same despair as the alcoholic feels today hitting bottom. The answer to the problem of alcoholism has always been the same. Stop drinking. That's what the solution was centuries ago, and that is the solution today. AA can certainly help in many ways. But if you don't like AA, that's cool. The goal of treatment for alcoholism is sobriety, not attendance.