It's hard to answer objectively, really. Sometimes I believe that I've been indoctrinated to think that abstaining from all "drugs" is the only way to go. But I think psychedelics are stigmatized unfairly. I mean, smoking and drinking coffee is acceptable to people in AA. I don't like how black-and-white some people make it out to be. Bill Wilson dropped acid during his sobriety, and he even allegedly advocated its use to treat alcoholism. And I've tripped what I would consider to be a fair amount, and I always have those moments of introspection that actually inspire me to strive for sobriety and changing my lifestyle.
That's one thing I have a problem with, too. Getting inundated with same regurgitated stories and cliches can get very tiresome to me. I don't like how jaded I've become about AA/NA, and maybe I need to examine that further because I'm probably just being too judgmental. My biggest problem with the program is not the steps, which I actually think are awesome, but the fellowship aspect. Don't get me wrong, I've met awesome people in recovery, but I don't want my life to revolve around AA, either. My mom maybe goes to one or two meetings a week and has friends from the program, but AA is not her life. I think I might just be focusing too much on the negative when I go into meetings because it's a lot easier to identify the negative rather than exerting the effort to change my mentality about the things that annoy me.
Btw, I know there are support groups out there that don't utilize the 12-steps. Perhaps look to see if there are some in your area? There are many places that provide free counseling, too. Maybe that could be an adequate alternative?
