Some people use the group as a higher power. The belief that this group of people all working together toward a common goal has much more power than I do on my own.

The total is more than the sum of the parts. In other words if you add up the power of each individual member you get a number. BUT the power of the group is much much higher than that number.

The point is that we as individuals are powerless over our addictions and need a power greater than ourselves (our individual will power) to overcome them. You can define a higher power in any way you want and just ignore the God part. Just substitute god with your own concept of a power greater than yourself.

I know for a fact that a group of people helping me has way more power than my individual will power. I tried for many years and did not have near enough power to overcome them. Lack of power is our dilemma so getting power from whatever source is the solution.

There are also other treatment programs that don't follow the AA model and are more tailored for atheist.