Kind of a weird analogy, but I kind of wonder the same thing about people who watch TV every day. How can anyone be so dependent on staring passively at a screen for even one hour every day, much less more than an hour? I guess it's all a matter of how you're going to spend your time...an AA meeting is one hour of my day, plus another half hour or so if you add in the time I drive to and from the meeting...not really a huge percentage of my time.
I also think that one of the main reasons why people with long-term sobriety keep going to meetings is that AA suggests that working with and being there for newcomers is an important factor in our own sobriety. It's not so much that our insecurity or lack of willpower keeps us going to meetings, it's that crucial element of reaching out and interacting with others that helps us have not just a sober life but a pretty fulfilling one. I'd rather spend an hour of my day interacting with other recovering/recovered alcoholics that watch an hour of television any day. Just my opinion.
So it is often asked if replacing drinking with attending AA meetings is simply a matter of trading one addiction with another...I would actually say that maybe it is...but is that necessarily bad? I don't think so. Daily attendance at meetings will not kill you or ruin your life, daily drinking (for an alcoholic) might very well.
Alcoholism is a disease that can't be cured, only managed. Going to meetings for an alcoholic is something I consider to be similar to daily insulin injections for a diabetic. If you're a diabetic you could be depressed over the idea of having to take insulin for the rest of your life, or you can - like most diabetics I've known - adapt to the idea that insulin needs to be part of your life from now on in order for you to stay healthy. Not a bad thing...and attending even the worst AA meeting is probably better than having to stick a needle in my arm.