My experience on the best way to "stay" in step 1 and 2 is to work all 12 steps with a sponsor. I spent over 20 years doing the "3 step waltz" (1-2-3-drink, 1-2-3-drink). It wasn't until I finally got a sponsor and committed to doing all 12 steps that steps 1, 2 and 3 became more than a "thought experiment". It was taking action in steps 4-9 and having the obsession for alcohol lift and my life become manageable again to understand just how powerless I was over alcohol and how unmanageable my life had become. It was having my sanity return that helped me understand just how insane I was when it came to alcohol.