I don't think your counter-examples truly prove that less information is good. I think that if people who are hard drinkers mistakenly think that they can benefit from one of the "controlled drinking" treatments, then they need STILL MORE information! They need to be told by an intake counselor, "You know, based on your history, we think this is not a good treatment match for you. You're more likely to benefit from an abstinence-based approach."

And, just want to mention that there are other modalities besides AA that DO have a goal of abstinence but don't use the 12-step framework (I'm thinking "Rational Recovery" and another one targeted specifically at women that I'm blanking on the name for).