Nons, there is evidence* that our addiction affects more than just the primitive parts of our brain. Addictions also affect the prefrontal cortex, that part of the brain which evolved to support our existence as sophisticated social creatures. Thus, when this part of the brain malfunctions, a solution can be found in a therapeutic social setting.
AA is not a cult or a religion. It just happens that a cure for alcoholism comes in that form in most communities.
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*4 March 2009
Neuroscience: "Rethinking rehab", Jim Schnabel, Nature 458, 25-27, doi:10.1038/45802