I don't think the term Rock Bottom should ever be used. Some don't have a "Rock Bottom" it is death. I think it's a term that misleads people, especially families in dealing with their qualifier.
In my experience, when my qualifier did something that was horrible, I thought, OK, this is his "Rock Bottom." Well no actually. Addiction ebbs and flows. It goes through stages. This is also where you will hear the term "functioning addict" at times.
I think that an addict will come to their own terms to recover, or not. They can go along for a REALLY LONG TIME in active abuse, and families expecting them to find some "rock bottom" may be surprised to find they don't have one.
That is just my two cents drawn from my own personal experiences in dealing with the addict in my life.