sdi,
you speak of not having been determined enough.
my own experience is that my determination was incapable of getting the job done. meaning: no matter how determined, it wasn't "enough", or not "enough" by itself.
i needed to add other alcoholics, daily involvement, commitment and follow-through, and yeah, later i added doing the step-stuff when i understood that i needed a spiritual solution to my problem.
whatever you do, add to it. determination alone is unlikely to be a lasting solution.