I would argue that "adopting a spiritual way of life" is not specific enough, and that for the true alcoholic to recover they must undergo a spiritual experience, one that is characterized by a complete transformation of their personality (from selfish drinking to a genuine interest in other's sobriety) and ALSO a meaningful connection with a higher power. "Spiritual way of life" has too much wiggle room in it for me....

As the distinction between the alcoholic and the problem drinker, it is simple. For the problem drinker, the problem is alcohol. Remove the alcohol, problem solved. For the alcoholic, once alcohol is out of the picture, the problem begins. The root is still there, in other words, the spiritual malady is still there. A sense of self-centered isolation, a feeling of seperatness which drives the peculiar mental twist, the strange insanity that causes an alcoholic to do the most insane thing he can do. And he does it stone cold sober, he picks up a drink. As long as the alcoholic remains seperate he remains insane where alcohol is involved.

Best advice, I got coming into AA was to keep it simple.