Fascinating.
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There are a lot of good responses to this. One thing for sure, there is also a lot of energy on this topic.
Was Joe Nerv who mentioned the higher power being anything besides yourself? Or rather just to accept things that happen to be what they are and no more. Que sera sera?
If one wants to bring statistics into it, the "success" rate of aa is no more or no less than any other program of recovery - or none at all. The success rate of any program is determined by the participants' willingness to believe it works and wanting it to work. And, most importantly the participant must have the complete desire to stop drinking no matter what.
That is the bottom line. You have to want to stop more than you want to drink. As long as that criteria is met, you can go to wal-mart in the back aisle and buy anything and call it your higher power, pray to it to help you stop drinking and carry it around with you always and whenever you have the urge to drink you pull it out of your pocket and pray to it every time - it should work.
I've heard at aa meetings and from other reports from aaers, when a person who goes to aa continues to drink and just "doesn't get the program" they are told to go away and "come back when they are ready to quit drinking."
So aa works only if you are able to quit drinking on your own - that's a fact jack.
paintballer, I suggest you learn the serenity prayer. You can substitute the word 'self' for god. Say it every day at least one time.