Dr. Bob was sober and DID work the steps in order before working on his ninth step, but, he did all of his ninth step in one day.
The thing that got him stuck originally was that he didn't want to confess to his patients or colleagues that he was under the influence when he performed medical work/decisions.
The difference was that there were about 6 steps, based on The Oxford Group, that the original AAer's worked. Bill W. turned those 6 steps into 12. 12 is a spiritual number. See page 13 of the 4th edition of the big book (well, page 13 hasn't changed since the 1st edition). Read Not-God A History Of Alcoholics Anonymous by Ernest Kurtz.