If I could just step in and speak to this good point that RL has made:
I am a secular person--actually anti-religious if pressed--and yet I have no problem taking the truly wise aspects of religions and incorporating them into my own world view. For instance the golden rule from Christianity, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is probably the most succinct prescription for good relationships, an end to capitalism as we know it and world peace! You don't have to buy into the whole ugly religion to see the value in that wisdom. Likewise, Buddhism has given me a philosophy that really deepens my resilience to life's hardships as well as my experience of joy. But do I have to believe in all the silly prescriptions for behavior (like praying on the 49th day after a loved one's death to ensure something in their supposed afterlife)? No, I do not. I have my own mind. I can use it to decide for myself what is useful to me and what is not, what is true
for me. The old saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" comes to mind. For me, there is a lot of wisdom in the twelve steps, both for addiction and beyond. I never had a too much of a problem with the higher power but that is probably because I think in metaphorical terms naturally; plus as a non-believer in deities I am used to being in the minority.
As far as the dogmatism that exists in AA/NA--it exists everywhere! The argument about whether it is a self-righteous cult or whether it is simply groups of people getting together to try to integrate strategies for a healthier life misses the point IMO. A group is made up of individuals. Some are loud and domineering and some are quiet and self-effacing and everything in between. Like anywhere else in life, you look for the people that resonate with you and take the others as they come, letting their opinions just be their opinions. If a particular group is super religious and there is no room for any other perception of life, form another group. The idea that the support of a larger group is vital is true--it just may not be this group.
The bottom line for me is that taking a black and white polarized view of anything robs you of your ability to access what could be useful to you, reject what isn't and be in control of your own choices. It is all free choice (except when the courts are dictating and as RL said, that is for another thread).
At 60, I have seen many of my friends and family members deal with addiction over their lifetimes. Most have used AA/NA in the beginning and then moved on. Some have made AA a lifelong practice. Only two out of quite a few of those people are actually believers in a god. What I admire about all of these people in my life is that they made a commitment to developing strategies that work for them and they continually come back to those, whatever they are. It's not about quitting a drug. It's about understanding yourself and your place in time and space. It's about making life better for everyone starting with yourself.
May everyone feel free to find peace for themselves using their own hearts and minds and their connections to one another.