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Alcoholic recovery programs mostly don't work anywhere anyway.
It's interesting that for nicotine there are drugs that increase the recovery success by an order of magnitude, but for alcohol telling you not to do it is the best people can do.
That’s not what the contemporary research shows. For example, here’s some stuff on AA. (FYI, I’m not super into AA, I’m more of a fan of the other programs)
All in all, group therapy recovery programs are often quantifiably better than no support system. They lead to reduced consumption and reduced medical problems from substance abuse.
There are also some interesting studies (Google the PAL studies on addition) that are looking at alternatives to AA, and they also have some intriguing insights. All in all, the big book stuff is not the only game in town that has positive outcomes for people.
Many drugs that cause nicotine cessation also work for other addictive drugs, including alcohol. Off the top of my head...
- Chantix (and buproprion)
- NAC
- Tirzepatide and Semaglutide
- Buperenorphine
- Acamprosate
- Disulfiram (sp?)
- Psychedelics (if used properly)
While we're on the subject, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W, said the help of LSD was integral to his development of AA.
Topiramate reduces alcohol cravings
I was prescribed anxiolytics (some form of benzos I believe) to help ; worked remarkably well in keeping me calm while going through withdrawal. It's not that easy tho, since they in turn are addictive.
That's because it's basically alcohol in a pill.