Sure, and while we're at it, we should also not criticize faith healers who do parlor tricks with soggy sponges to cure people of cancer. After all those patients are desperate and spontaneous remission is a thing. So what, some of them might have had a better chance with a chemo or surgery but Land of the Free, right?

Look, as far as I'm concerned, as long as you're not hurting anyone (and that's asking a lot because addiction hurts more people than just the addict) you can seek out any nonsense therapy you want. Wave a chicken, swallow some sugar pills and pray the gay away.

But the second your ghost healing clinic becomes the industry standard and courts send people their under threat of punishment it's no longer fun and games. Those people could be helped if they received proper treatment but instead they get to waste their time (and worsen their health) by sitting through a so-called treatment that actually makes them less likely to succeed in overcoming their addiction.

Here's a web page that nicely summarises the problems with AA and its effectiveness: https://www.orange-papers.info/orange-effectiveness.html