AA was created in the 30's and while still highly effective for sobriety, is sometimes not up to date. Guzzling coffee and chain smoking cigs was (and for the most part still is) the gold standard of AA.
The use of a "mind altering" substances is part of a very grey area these days as many people need them for mental health and other issues.
In the end, if this person was looking for a new path of addiction, the chip was needed. If not, then it was a complete overreaction.