AA only asks the question if you are willing to believe in a power greater than yourself. I take it like this, if there isn't a power greater than myself, I would have been able to figure out this whole addiction thing and overcome it on my own, with no outside help. I would have been able to think my way out of it, as I tried to for many years. It probably wasn't going to happen. Not really realistic for me to be thinking that self-knowledge will solve my problems.