Just to clear something up.......the Big Book was written describing the experience of the first 100. The book describes what happened to them.....so therefore, it HAS to be written in past tense. The fact that is says, were/was/had been/etc does NOT necessarily imply that the opposite is now true. It's just common sense.
Using cancer as an example, let's pretend I'm going to describe how I survived cancer. Initially I came to a decision that I am, on my own, powerless over curing my cancer. I then went for treatment, so on and so forth, and subsequently recovered. I'm not cancer free. That being said, I'm STILL powerless over cancer.
I think, RIGHTLY SO, they were moot on the "I currently have power over alcohol" discussion to leave it up to the individual to answer that question from their experience. IMO, I'm currently not powerless over the first drink but it's not MY power that I'm exercising. It's God's power, flowing through me, as part of my daily reprieve that I get from maintaining conscious contact and trying to walk the spiritual path via my actions.
FWIW, I was just at a meeting last night and the table leader, a guy with 20-something years said in response to someone who shared, "remember, we're powerless over people, places and things." It was like nails on a chalk board to me......because I don't believe that to be true.