Ddin't see this duplicate thread until after I posted in the other one so I'll duplicate my answer here too.
In the recovery community that is exactly what we mean, the folks that won't do whatever it takes to get sober. Not the folks that are using and expecting life to be blissful.
Folks who try to quit alone, not tell anybody, won't go to AA, won't talk to a pastoral counselor, won't admit themselves for detox or rehab, won't seek private counseling of free clinic counseling, won't tell friends, and last but not least, expect to continue to party and go to bars and clubs sober, and fail repeatedly are who we mean.
That list is not exclusive of any other things people can choose from to develop their own recovery plan, and then work that plan. Nor does one have to do all of them, or any of them. Just not keep doing the same things that haven't worked for them over and over.
People who repeatedly do the same one thing or two things that haven't worked for them to get sober before over and over are exactly what is meant by that.
The ones who make it practice "unconditional sobriety." There is nothing that is off limits or that they are not willing to do to get and stay sober. If they fail they do something different to make it.
They will re-examine their own premises. They will seek face to face help if lacking that has already failed. They will do whatever it takes. Change or drop friends. Leave abusive others, just say no. Whatever it takes.
Sobriety with conditions before sober are easy to spot. "I could never go to AA because then everybody will know" for example. Hm. Don't get me wrong AA is not for everyone and no longer a part of my sobriety daily. But I went and took what I could use and left the rest. Same with my doc and family and friends.
When you read the constantly recovering and relapsing people you are reading us. For we have been them and understand them. So don't read my above as non-empathetic. Some folks aren't ready yet, so we are gentle with them, as we were treated here when we started out. But when asked we will answer as truthfully as we can within the bounds of not being hurtful, and try to do so with grace. The same grace that helped us along. When people were graceful with us.
But we had to be ready, to do whatever it took. We had to accept unconditional sobriety. To never drink again. Regardless of what life throws at us. People will grow old and die. Illness will come into our lives whether our own the ones we love. Fortune will smile on us or not sometimes. And we will not drink because that does not help. It only insulates us from it temprarily as well as the good things like love, relationships, family, etc for those of us lucky enough to have those still. And to get those for those of us who allowed alcohol to throw those away.
Unconditional sobriety is the only one that works for me. What we do to get there varies, but never happens with conditional sobriety.
Hope that helps.