Yes, addiction cure last century would've taken a whole different turn, if it was realised that William James spoke not of the external God that people pray to for deliverance from addiction, but instead, of that internal battle in homeo-sapiens' brain, between the survival drives' instant gratification automatic programing and the higher, authentic selfs consideration of future ramifications of that drive, and its ability to override and transcend it - veto power, or as I like to call it won't power.
AVRT is not, as you say, incompatible with religious beliefs. I was raised a Catholic, although lapsed. Since stopping drinking through AVRT, I've an interest in religion and spiritualism. I was taught by the Church that the God of my religion, empowered humans with the ability to over-ride our urges, cravings., compulsions (all lower brain) which is the whole basis of the Bible, transcending sins, we have the ability. I was taught that God doesn't expect us to pray to him for the power, because we already possess it from birth.
Whether I believe in a God, the jury's still out, but I know for sure that humans have personal ability to conquer addictions, as the Bible spoke of, as science have proven, as William James wrote - because I'm living proof, as are many others.