To shadow kismet and anyone else who wonders how AA can be so popular if it is not helpful I'd say that faith healers have conned their way into popularity through out history with people who didn't know any better. They have been found to be a religion by a number of courts however much they deny it. Their effectiveness is less than 5% which is less than the rate at which people spontaneously wise up and quit or cut back without any assistance at all. The mortality rate of AA members is higher than of alcoholics and heavy drinkers who get no AA 'help".

AA and their spin off organizations have and continue to harm the health system with lies about their effectiveness and the swindling of insurance and tax dollars with their rehab clinics where people are often anything but free to go while being subject to sever mind control techniques.

Did you know AA hands down death sentences for refusing them?http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/coercion.htm

Maverick if you read through the links the answers to the things you are confused about are throughly answered along with more links to other programs that work better.

~Down