I got sober 31 years ago this month (October 2, 1989) with the help of my good friends in AA. I was religious when I first joined, but AAs generic references to a higher power sent me on a search for a god that was real, and it eventually led me to become an atheist. Is stayed in AA for many years as an atheist and evertime someone mentioned "God" I imagined it as "Group Of Drunks" which was my higher power.
I had a great group which was not very religious. Over the years as became less religious, the group actually seemed to become more religious, so I left it 6 years ago. I'll always be grateful for the time I spent in the group though.

I don't remember for sure, but the term "higher power" is not in AA literature. The 2nd step is "power greater than ourselves". Two people is a power greater than me. Three, even better. Hence, the power of the group. One alcoholic helping another. I dislike that term "higher power".

I struggled with 'the god thing" in my early days of recovery. After a while I realized that God, if he/she/it does exist doesn't give a fiddler's fart if you get sober. But, AAers continually regurgitate the phrase "sober by the grace of God". I don't see it that way. After about 12 years of dealing with it, I sought out a secular approach. SMART Recovery worked much better for me. That was oh, about 20 years ago.

There are agnostic 12 step meetings out there. GTS. The most important thing is to stay connected with people in recovery that you can relate to.

In .SMART Recovery we say "be patient with yourself, but be persistent". Good luck (not that luck has anything to do with it. I just haven't found a better way to wish you well. How about "Godspeed"? ha ha)

Accept "higher power" as your ability to defeat drug addiction.There is a higher power. Your determination. (Booze is a drug). Do it my friend. You can do it.

There are none in my place of residence I live in Newport news Virginia the closest one for atheist is somewhere like Richmond which is an hour away I quit AA after they told me that if I didn't believe in Jesus I would never be able to stop drinking

Maybe this would be more your style, or at least worth a try:
[recoverydharma.online]

A mindfulness meditation center in Nashville that I've attended hosted recovery meetings 2x weekly. Since current in-person is cancelled, their webpage redirects people to the link I gave you. All online.

i've had a real problem with alcohol since i was 14. really got into the booze in a big way when i was in the Navy. sometimes i wonder how i'm still alive.
i was pretty bad right into my 50s. i was a binge drinker which got me into a lot of trouble. somehow managed to stay in the navy/airforce for a 23 yr pension.
i thought about AA but didn't like the religious BS.
i was still over--doing booze into my 70s. then i finally realized it was taking a great toll on me physically & mentally & i just didn't enjoy it as much
starting around 5 yrs ago, after some serious health problems i knew i had to cut back on my consumption
i enjoy good craft beers & good whiskey. i now allow myself, starting at 5.45 PM, 2 beers & a 2 oz shot of whiskey. and that's it. occasionally we go out or have friends over & my consumption might get stretched to 5 drinks but i haven't exceeded that amount for at least the last year.
this eve my wife went to visit her cousin & i was very tempted to pour myself another whiskey but resisted.
so my advice is just cut back to a level that won't cause you health or other problems & you should be OK.

Have you tried hypnosis? I’m a hypnotist and a lot of times you can see immediate and lasting change. One of reasons I left Christianity. One hypnosis session did me more good than two years of praying

Look into The Sinclair Method, [the-sinclair-method.com] I have not used it but have heard about it from others as always talk to professional, qualified people. Good Luck

There are secular organisations but I'm not sure about where you live. Research has also demonstrated that the AA model of total abstinence has proven to be less effective than a model of rational drinking. For starters, people tend to grow into drinking without thinking about rules, whereas in all other instances of risky behaviour (driving for instance) we have rules to follow to stay safe. What are your rules around drinking? What rules might you institute to keep yourself and others safe if/when you drink?

There are AA groups for atheists, try to Google them.

AA is a cult,, I lived in an AA no contact recovery center in San Jose California for 3 years 8 months, due to the recession, I couldn't find a job and don't care for urban camping.
There are modern rehabilitation methodologies that actually work without a life time dependency on AA meetings, which at this point make me sick even thinking about it.
I'm always sober, unless I just smoked some weed.

Maybe, but you are the higher power. It has to do with will and not "willpower."

Rational Recovery

I volunteer at SMART recovery.org. We are secular and science-based. It is all about peer support and what works for each individual.

Why does it bother? Cant you privately pick something else...like Ganesh, the elephant guy, remover of obstacles? Lol

There has to be some secular version of that out there. How do you deal with steps 2-3 that focus entirely on God? You'd either have to profess your belief or admit you don't believe. In which case, do they reject you from the program?