However, that doesn't mean AA doesn't work for some people.
I have read somewhere it has a 10% success rate, so we can't ignore that for some people, as flawed as it might seem to some, it does work.
Powerlessness is just about "I dont have power over X" where x=other people, other circumstances, etc etc.
All you have power over is your OWN actions. And thru that you gain immense power.
The steps are just about clearing out the shitty character your developed lying and cheating your way to get high/drunk... So you can start making decisions without trying to cover up 100 other shitty decisions.
The higher power thing is just about not being so self centered and framing the world from a point of view where the addict isnt in the center of it, but a participant equal to all others.
Theres lots of crazy everywhere, and AA attracts alot of them. But people who have found true freedom outside of addictions thru the process. And many people just build new frameworks to be assholes with.
How many of those are people that would have successfully quit on their own, but instead of trying to fix it themselves when they realized they had a problem, almost immediately went to AA?
I don't think a 5-8% success rate is really indication on its own that AA provides any positive benefit