Just my 2 cents here: Every alcoholic that I have met (and I'm by no means saying that this is statistically accurate, just my experience) have been sensitive and very intelligent human beings. We're extreme thinkers and extreme feelers. For me, alcohol was an off-switch to me-ness. That being said, in hindsight, although it was, IMHO, a fundamental reason behind my alcoholism, it (extreme thinking) also prevented my recovery for a long, long, time. Until I understood it, I was incapable of doing anything about it. Can you see the result? I kept drinking, kept feeling baffled as to why and nothing changed. Only when I recognized that why I am alcoholic is far less important than the fact that I must do something about it, was I able to gain my first tenuous foothold.
I'm not certain what you asking? As far as recovery progression, yes I think that there is. The ability to think clearheadedly has opened up a world of both good and bad. And changes beget more changes. Positive self-esteem lead me to consider what I was capable of doing, which allowed more self-esteem, which allowed further growth and so on. And the flip-side: realizing my self-centeredness forced me to examine my motives, which forced me to examine my expectations, etc. So, if I am interpreting your question accurately, recovery is constant progression. It was my alcoholism that prohibited me from growth.