IMO it's a cult.

I spent a lot of my childhood at AA meetings with my alcoholic mother. I am also an alcoholic and struggled for years because the only answer I was ever offered was AA/NA. I tried it for myself a few times (usually to please others) but was always instantly turned off by it's cult like attributes. I eventually found help through a few different paths.

disclaimer: my half-sister's mother was in a cult (Alive Polarity Fellowship) for 20 years.