When AA says they are powerless against alcohol, aren't they essentially saying alcohol is a higher power?

Given that the recidivism rate is 95%, no better or worse than any other drug or alcohol treatment program, I would say that you have made a fair assessment. They want to pretend that they are infected with a disease and so they do not even begin to address the real problem which is a compulsion. The compulsion to drink may eventually be replaced by the compulsion to attend meetings but these people are still wallowing in their symptoms and not addressing the root cause of their behaviors. Alcoholics are powerless over their compulsions, be they smoking cigarettes, drinking, anger reactions, or attending meetings. Alcoholism is not a disease and does not meet the criteria for a disease as it is self inflicted. There is no alcoholic personality. 99% of all alcoholics come from families that do not drink alcohol. (If you come from an alcoholic family you have a greater chance of being an alcoholic but there is no, NO!, genetic link." There are a whole lot of theories out there an none have been proven. One thing is certain regarding alcoholism. God's success rate is as dismal as any other programs success rate. God himself gets a cure rate of only 5%. That is pretty piss poor for a magical Deity capable of creating the world. If he worked for me I would fire him.