I think whether you can stop drinking without a programme depends on how dependant to alcohol you actually are. I see weekend drunks comming into AA, and I see those addicted to pubs (not alcohol) comming into AA; and fair enough they can stop drinking without a programme and as long as they have a desire to stop drinking everyone is welcome.
Those types of drinkers don't need the steps; some coffee, company and a bit of peer pressure is good enough for them to stop drinking.
But me? I had a million-and-one good reasons not to drink, I tried everything humanly possible to stop and I just couldn't for some reason. I'm not soft; I was a good soldier for 17 years and boxer and considered myself a bit of a tough guy; yet I could not conquer my addiction to alcohol.
I truly believe that if you're a fully fledged alcoholic, the only solution is a spiritual one that'll radically change your mentality (it changes you for the better too). And if you've never had a spiritual experience, then that's a shame; honest.
If this forum could've stopped me from drinking, my sobriety date would've been three years ago; instead of the four months it is now, but I'm full of praise for this forum, since the AA seed must've been planted in my brain; it just took a long time to grow from the mess it was deposited into.