There must be a very small number of people who get it first time. Decide they are going to stop and then actually stop.
I've found with each relapse, although you hear the same things over and over, each time with experience and introspection, what you get from those words is slightly different.
For me, I learn more about myself with each relapse and the subsequent soul searching that goes on after it. When I am not drinking I don't do that - I busy myself with life and then let my guard slip.