AA shouldn't be taken off of the table as a recovery program due to what the research says. It has many things going for it which is why it's been so successful and self sustaining over the years. Several of the traditions dictate that AA is resistant to scientific scrutiny, so the amount of research is pretty sparse, overall.
For example, while there are several treatment programs in my area, the ability to be admitted depends on payer source and funding. Some will take charity or have scholarships, but not all. They range in price from about $5000-$25,000/episode, depending on the level of care provided. With AA, there are around 1300 meetings weekly on all days and at a range of times that makes the program widely accessible to a great many problem drinkers. The meeting are essentially free, although they do accept donations.