Originally Posted by
Algorithm 
It comes from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous - Chapter 3 - More About Alcoholism (Page 42-43).
You may draw your own conclusions, but when AA says powerless over alcohol, as in Step 1, it means powerless over the desire for alcohol.
Agreed. It brings to mind the germane topic about the phenomenon of craving vs. the mental obsession. Craving happens after the first drink, the mental obsession before. We must address the mental obsession to avoid the first drink, where craving sets in.