Originally Posted by
ACT10Npack 
Kelly you can't focus someone to change there believes when it comes to God. If they are atheist then AA will not keep them sober. The head person of the AA telling them that use the group as a higher power is really a slap in the face to their beliefs. But I don't know why those 3 people are in AA in the first place.
Are all the people in AA meet are in rehab too?
Rehab facilities don't normally screen for atheists, but they do usually make people go to AA meetings daily. They will drive them to meetings, and then prescribe the "90 meetings in 90 days" after their stay.
The reason the suggestion to use the group, or AA itself as a higher power is so common is because it is written in "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" under "Step Two" (page 27).
The underlying assumption is that this is only a beginning - that in time, the newcomer's faith will broaden, that the atheist will "come to believe" and ultimately, in effect, cease to be atheist.
You can read it on the official AA web site:
AA "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" Chapter on Step 2
[AA Literature on the official AA web site linked with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.]