Walks,
I am not religious and do not attend AA, just reporting what this doctor told me.
I also think if you look underneath it all, AA is not as religious as people make it out to be.
People who practice AA may be another story, but the underlying principles of AA are more about self discovery than about a higher power.
I do acknowledge that they refer to a higher power as being necessary, but I am willing to see that step as means of saying that we need to stop seeking to control that which we cannot.
And the original AA folks took higher power very broadly, although the current folks often do not.
I also do believe that after I drink I have no power over it, which is different from being powerless to cut it out completely.
But I take all the help I can get, whether from the Universe or from anyone else.
If I look at the 12 steps with an open mind, although I have never done them myself, I think they can be helpful to people in becoming better people, whether they have an alcohol issue or not.
A bit like a Course in Miracles, even if you don't believe the underlying theory, I have never met anyone that did not get something out of doing the exercises. Again, not having done them myself.
Net net, if you look underneath it all, 12 steps, serenity prayer, buddhism, Course in Miracles, all have common underlying themes that I agree with for me. Forget should and would, keep it as is; acceptance; learn how to give up control over things that are outside of your control; take a hard look at yourself, take responsibility, and then forgive yourself; understand that what you do has a direct and indirect impact on others; and at the end remember love is all there really is, everything else is fear. Including booze -- its just fear in a bottle.
OK enough of that...