Clearly your second friend was not walking her talk. Its easy to put on a good show for people in the rooms or even outside the rooms. Harder to actually live by spiritual principles-I've been there.
No he DID walk the way he talked, until one day, he let his 'guard' down a wee bit, and King Alcohol started talking again. He was human, we are not perfect.
There has never been a question in my mind, the book is pretty clear that if we do these things, if we live these principles then we recover from our disease, our problem is removed from us, and we never have to worry about alcohol.
BULL. I have been sober and clean a very very long time. Your time will come to be TESTED, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, and unless you are a 'saint' and 'perfect', then through the 'stinking thinking' you will have to manage to at least pick up a phone and call, or you could end up right where I have seen MANY end up.
No it is not Ever Vigilant against alcohol it is EVER VIGILANT against the OLD WAYS, OLD THINKING sneaking in, because those start LONG BEFORE WE PICK UP A DRINK.
It can start by 'skipping' doing a 10th Step every evening, getting irritated at a co worker or a family member and letting it stew, or someone 'cutting you off on the street, etc They only happen once in a while, but then they happen again, and again. Complacency can and does set in on most of us from time to time in our ongoing recovery.
Oh my friend stay Vigilant. It takes years and years for the 'old ways' to completely leave and they can still pop up now and then.
And yes I AM RECOVERED from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body, however, I am still recovering in how I act and react with my fellow man.
J M H O
Love and hugs,