I am proud to see a newer member of AA with a good grasp of the program. From what I understand from the first 164 pages is that the Spiritual awakening is the result of working the Steps. Finding and maintaining sobriety is done through the Steps. It is because of the Steps and the program of AA that I am able to stay sober and work with other alcoholics.
My first sponsor tried to slow me down from working the Steps. I had read the book and decided if I was to find sobriety and stay sober I needed to follow the Big Book to do that. My understanding of what I read and re-read is that I needed to do the Steps, most of which are to be immediately followed by the next Step. For example it states right in the Big Book that immediately following Step 3 we go right into mapping out our 4th Step. What is the point in making a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God if we don't put action behind that decision by moving into the next Step? I actually wound up doing the Steps on my own in early sobriety since my sponsor did not want me to work on more than 1 a month. I did do my 5th Step with a woman with a substantial amount of sobriety who also believes that working through the Steps so we can apply them daily to our lives is one of the keys to sobriety. Needless to say that original sponsor and I did not last long but I stayed sober and still apply the Steps daily in my life to all aspects of it. I encourage everyone to work through the Steps to get a strong foundation of sobriety. Without the foundation of doing those Steps in early sobriety I would never have been able to stay sober. The Steps are what relieved me of my obsession to drink and the application of those Steps in my life today are what help keep that obsession at bay.
I do encourage you to continue to work the Steps like you have and not to be discouraged by those that for whatever reason did not work them like you are. Everyone has an opinion and not all people in AA have read the Big Book, there are people who rely soley on sponsors or the fellowship of AA to stay sober; personally I take what is said by those people with a grain of salt. I know that working the Steps in early sobriety is what worked for me and worked for the founding fathers of AA. I am still sober 10 years later and still utilize the Steps daily in my life. They are a big key to my sobriety.
Thanks for reminding me of the importance of the Steps in my life and for being an inspiration to others. Keep up the good work and don't let others discourage you.