Originally Posted by
BackToSquareOne 
"They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty."
For many reasons that have been discussed in this thread and others is the capacity of honesty on the part of the suffering Alcoholic. The success rate was higher back in the 30's and 40's from conversations I have had with older members who went through those days for two primary reasons.
A. There was no single program of recovery that targeted the Alcoholic and that showed immediate results.
B. The Alcoholics of the that time were truly at the end of the road; they had no options besides sanitariums, churches, jail, prison or death.
Today, the advances in mental health and in the general medical community as a whole, Alcoholics have the opportunity to get off the rollercoaster much sooner. Is it a plus, to be thrown a life preserver sooner? For some yes, but for the real Alcoholic I do not believe so. Relapse is for me, a direct result of my incapacity to be honest with myself and nothing else. Now, you may be different, I can only speak for me. My daily recovery is contingent upon self-honesty first.
Best to all!