Recovery has nothing to do with the Big Book. Its has nothing to do with the steps.

What you actually learn from a 12-step programme is: patience; how to listen; how to survive a day at a time without drugs; how to interact with others without drugs; etc.

12-step meetings and literature provide an addict with: distractions from using; a daily routine (we then have something to do); a sense of purpose - our task then is to get to a meeting; social re-integration; a sense of pride (my clean time is my most valued possession) and an implied responsibility to then stay clean.

An addict gets all this and much more from 12-step meetings, even before they read a word of the Big Book.

And the simple fact is that, with abstinence and time, we all get better - no matter what we believe in.