"Most of us have been unwilling to admit  we were real alcoholics." Pg 30 BB.

I was willing to admit I was an alcoholic, but not a real alcoholic. Why? Because of ignorance. I just sat in meetings day after day without any real knowledge of the disease of alcoholism. Crunch time came when my sponsor was blatantly honest with me. He told me I was going to get drunk soon, unless I attempted to work the steps honestly. Life was becoming unmanageable again and worse now because I did not have a drink to kill the pain.

Thus I was re-motivated to do the steps thoroughly. Whenever I experience a problem now, I take time off on a retreat with my group and do the steps again. It's not a question of trying the steps, it's a question of doing them thoroughly or dying of alcoholism. The cancer patient does not have a choice on chemotherapy. Likewise the real alcoholic does not have a choice on the steps.