My own impression is that AA would not have worked for me. Too preachy. Too pessimistic. For me, what helped was psychotherapy, joining a meditation group, an antidepressant, and solving the underlying root cause of my drinking (a failing relationship). I haven’t had an alcoholic drink in 4 years, and I don’t miss it.

Do you have a link or citation for that? Is this just your impression that you are relating?

No citation, but consider this: before the creation of AA (1930-something), are we to believe no one ever stopped drinking successfully?

Are you aware that you're arguing in bad faith throughout this thread, or do you think these are strong points you're making? "Someone must've quitted drinking before AA existed" => "the silent majority of quitters do so via self-help" is nowhere close to a valid conclusion. Particularly for someone who's prided themself on their rationality elsewhere..