Like anything else, if you don't go into it with an open mind (admitting you don't have all the answers) and a willingness to try something different/new (what you HAVE been doing isn't working), odds are you'll be wasting your time - and money.
For the record, none of us is (is/are?) as smart as we'd like to think we are. AND, I've met quite a few knuckle draggin alkies.