There are only 2 important things to keep in mind to not drink.

The 1st Most important thing are the steps. The steps mean nothing until you are ready. You can rely on the fellowship, but until the steps mean something recovery will have no chance for a real alcoholic.

The 2nd most important thing to staying sober are the 1st 4yrs after these steps start to mean something. This is where the sponsor comes in. They share their experience along this path of sobriety and can pass it along..

This is what lead to the books publishing.

The book is an explanation of the steps.

The fellowship expressed in the big book is a reflection of the First four years of this way of life prior to memorializing the way a in programmatic way.

For those that have let these steps enter their life and experience the first four years, I don't know what the success rate is but it is pretty darn good.