I wish you well! I have no idea if you should go to AA or not, but I will share my experience.

I self-medicated with a glass of wine a night to calm down from what I realize today was probably mania, but after I had an ulcer, alcohol caused me stomach problems. But I could not stop drinking alcohol on my own, even one glass of wine a night or every other night. I went to AA and have been sober from alcohol for the past 21 years, but AA doesn't work for everyone. I did learn some skills to cope better with life and to try to be calmer without using alcohol to self-medicate. There are people in AA who have BP, and one of the co-founders of AA (Bill W.) was reported to be manic-depressive (BP). Last week I was diagnosed with BP, which I am struggling with to accept.

So AA has not cured my BP or mania. But it does give me a support group of people who wish me well and people who are trying to cope with living when things get tough. I live in a small town, and I am grateful to have that support. I don't have that face to face support for being BP...

There are no minimum amounts of alcohol consumed required to go to and to be accepted at AA meetings, which I know first-hand. Yes some people in AA drink a lot more than 1 glass of wine/day and may be vocal that only they are real alcoholics. Craving even one glass of wine (or beer) and being unable to resist is sufficient. AA's 3rd Tradition states: “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.” The amount is not specified.

Again, I am not pushing AA, and it doesn't work for everyone. There are some people in AA (but not me) who give their personal opinion that meds for mental health are not needed, and exposure to them can be detrimental. But there is material in AA literature that meds are OK and necessary (e.g., do Internet search for "Medications and Other Drugs - Alcoholics Anonymous" [sorry, I can't give the link because I am a new member and have not submitted enough posts to be able to give link]). Good luck!