Just my opinion, and we all know what that involves, but to me this just may be the hardest of the 12 steps... i believe i kept drinking etc, for a time after i was convinced of step one... i knew in my heart that my consequences were going to be disasterous, and no good was gonna come of my getting and staying loaded, but i did it anyway... i had made a plan that when it got unbearable, i would simply kill myself, end of drinking story... never in my wildest dreams did i imagine there was a solution for me... maybe you, but not me... and any type of prayer wasn't an option... i remember watching Conan the Barbarian and seeing him pray to his "God", (can't remember what he called him), but he prayed for strength to survive and conquer, and he got what he prayed for... when i became that willing to pray when noone was around but me and the wind, then and only then did step 3 become workable... in fact it was very simple... Step 2 opened the door for me.