I certainly agreed with you, and thought the complete abstinence and "powerlessness" against alcohol was complete bull, and a big reason I avoided AA, and hence recovery, for so long.
Before coming to AA I tried hypnotherapy to retrain my brain to drink moderately. I did this for months. It didn't work for me. After my complete and utter demoralization, I came to the conclusion that those damned AAs were right!!! At least about me, I can't speak for you!!