People are free to look up 12 Step programs and see how they work, there's no big secret.
But to help clear up any misconceptions and innuendo from the post above our friends at Wikipedia helpfully have this summary of the process:
"As summarized by the American Psychological Association, the process involves the following:
- admitting that one cannot control one's addiction or compulsion;
- recognizing a higher power that can give strength;
- examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
- making amends for these errors;
- learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
- helping others who suffer from the same addictions or compulsions"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program
That's hardly a "religious focus". There is certainly a spiritual focus yes, and that is open to an individual's interpretation.
Contrary to your interpretation above, in fact the AA big book explicitly advises members to "Stress the spiritual feature freely" when talking to a new person. What they say not to do is to is to bring your own personal religious convictions (should you have any) into a discussion with a new person.
If a person doesn't need help, then good on them and more power to them.
But to assert without evidence (ironic, as I see from your signature) that something that patently does work for others is "cult like" is a real stretch of the conspiracy theorist in you.
Calling AA or any other 12 Step program "cult like" is quite a ridiculous ad hominen.
This like saying that because you personally don't believe in chemotherapy as a treatment for cancer then it doesn't, can't or won't work and anyone who has had, or freely chooses to take a course of chemo is a member of some strange belief system...