Regarding the AA motto, I can relate to both interpretations. I remember when I came here over four years ago and made my first post about moderation. Someone actually said “a lot of people need to keep on drinking before they decide to quit for good” and I remember the AV absolutely loved hearing that.
Now, some years later, I get how that suggestion is hardly anything to be happy about. The good times are less and less and the pain is more and more.
The AA slogan is there because they know and understand that it’s inevitable...you keep drinking and the pain will bring you back. No amount of reading or lecturing can substitute for that kind of pain.