I know its not the meetings that keep me sober. I have seen people with time pick up when life throws something at them, that do way more meetings than I do, yet when the same issues crop up in my life it doesn't occur to me to drink. it isn't the steps either. That journey connected me with the Power of my understanding which did for me what I could not do for myself. The Power was an active participant in my recovery just as It is in my continuing sobriety. It has kept me sober.
It is an oversimplification to say that people drink because they drift away from meetings. We need to know why they left. When I started a new group a few years back we had a number of people with reasonable time, like 2-3 years turn up. The meeting was a serious big book study group. We study the book and try and put waht we learn into practice in our daily lives. It is a lot different to middle of the road AA.
"If you are as alcholic as we were, we believe there is no middle of the road solution" " Half measures availed us nothing"
The folks that turned up at our group expressed amazement at what they were hearing - from the book. Nobody had told them about this stuff. They said they had been on the verge of leaving AA because after 2 - 3 years of meetings, and doing what they were told Nothing had changed. AA wasn't working.
They had been told meeting makers make it. No rush with the steps, keep coming back, don't drink & go to meetings, tale what you like, it's all suggested anyway, all the dumb middle of the road cliches . And it wasn't working. Half measures did indeed avail them nothing, the middle of the road solution they were being presented with turned out to be an illusion.
'Nothing short of intensive action on the 12 steps as a way of life will bring about the much desired result."
BTW people often think I am religious. Yesterday I went to my first ever church service that wasn't a funeral or a wedding. It was OK, but I don't think I will go back.