AA isn't the only problem. The Rat Park study suggests most addiction research may be fundamentally flawed (here's a great comic about it, if you like that format). TLDR the Rat Park results suggest addiction is far more complex than simple chemical addiction. That individuals may use these drugs because they're depressed and fundamentally unhappy with their lives. Further, that psychological fulfillment may far outweigh chemical dependence, in terms of breaking addiction. Previously addicted rats placed in an enriched environment preferred withdrawal to continued opiate usage. But it's only one study. We need more research.
Also relevant: Ibogaine.
I think this is a step towards a better model of addiction. But of course like most things in america the drug war is really about race. About Hallucinogens as alcoholism treatments this is at the core of the Peyote movement among Native Americans