Originally Posted by
DesertEyes 
That's a popular misconception.
The book was written for the kind of alkie we very rarely see here. Perhaps never have. The alkie who's lying in a hospital bed, or locked up in jail, and has realized they _want_ to quit drinking but don't know how. You will never see such an alkie on SR because they are too sick and have no access to a computer. The _purpose_ of the book is to give that low-bottom drunk a sense of _hope_, that there is the possibility of turning their life around.
Once that alkie has gotten thru the weeks of detox, couple months of wet-brain, and starts to string more than a couple words together in a sensible manner is when you start to tighten the screws and shine a little responsibility on them. Such an alkie has never graced SR because they can't _write_. Their brains are too scrambled.
Thank you
Mike. Such a wealth of knowledge, perspective and understanding. It really hits home because I am very afraid of how my Dad will wind up, like so many people who have gone past that point of no return, who have died alone, and not found for weeks. Ugh.