I am more then 6 years sober through AA. Before I have tried a professional help and it didn't work. My personality is allergic to psychotherapeutics b..t, I cannot stand someone telling my about my flaws. What has worked for me in AA? 1) The possibility to go to a meeting when I was starting feeling bad, lonely, depressed, tense - which previously resulted in getting a drink 2) Hearing the real stories from real people. I cannot stress how much it worked on my, how its had changed my perspective.

I am sure AA won't work for everyone but it works for certain types of people. In my humble opinion it works exactly because it isn't based on hard science but on personal experience. Actually - "this is how it works" is something you hear often at meetings.

Now regarding the financial side. 40k$ for bare bone AA meetings is something very American.

In Poland AA is self-financing, meetings are open and free. If you can afford you can make a voluntary donation to your group cash-box which is used for coffee and tea. Like 2-3$. Local community or a church is providing place for meetings. Everyone is welcome (if he is not under influence). In . city the size of Warsaw there are meeting going every day and at different hours. So AA is affordable to anyone and at any time while even public healthcare therapy will involve some cost or long wait.