One of the problems I had being in AA was when I moved to a small town with a large population of Christian evangelists. These folks used the Bible instead of the AA Big Book, stood up and testified in a manner consistent with their religious tradition and offensive to my approach to spirituality. I stopped going to meetings at that point, but I was already long sober and pretty safe in my recovery.

So one problem is finding a group whose overall values and approach is consistent with one's own. Otherwise, one will not be able to feel comfortable with the program or the group.

Even when I lived in a more metropolitan area, it was possible to shop around. I liked women's meetings and study meetings, compared with open meetings or speaker meetings. I could use those to address issues on a small, intimate scale and learn from others.

Each person has to find the groups that are right for him or her.