Hi & Welcome!

Has anyone here tried another program For learning the Russian language?
-Excuse me, what do you exactly mean by "another program"? What is the first one to name "another"??!
Well, Do you consider this site as a program??
If so, you are wrong. Here is an awesome "forum", to "ask" your questions, "communicate" with people to improve your Russian/English (depends on your native language). And etc etc.

So far, my studies are saying this is the place to be.
-Absolutely, this "forum" (not program) can 'help' you greatly.

How long approximately does it take to become proficient in Russian?
-It depends on a few things:
1) Your native language.People who speak Belarussian/Ukrainian/Polish/Bulgarian(= Balto-Slavic/Slavic languages) as their native language, learn Russian much faster.
2) How much time and effort you put in.
3) How naturally adapt you are at picking up new languages.

Withal, It is Not impossible to learn it. But first, you should 'fall in love' with the language you plan to learn!
So when you face the difficulties, you won't give up.

According to this website { Russian language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia }:
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Russian is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers, requiring approximately 780 hours of immersion instruction to achieve intermediate fluency.