Why do we have to work the steps fast?
(1) Treatment for alcoholism requires completion of the first nine Steps and living in the last three Steps. Until we've had a spiritual awakening, sobriety is contingent on grace, and, without absolute surrender to the process (demonstrated by vigorous action), grace can run out at any time.
(2) Spiritual awakenings flow from intense experiences. Spread the experience over too many months or even years, and no awakening happens: the actions have been taken but the effect is missing because it has been diluted over time.
(3) If the water is coming in as fast as you're bailing out, you're in no better a position at the end of the process than you were at the beginning. If the water is coming in faster, you're in a worse position at the end of the process.
(4) A learning experience requires daily consolidation. Without this daily consolidation, the learnings are forgotten and no progress is made.
Anything less than vigorous daily action on the Steps suggests that Step One has not been understood. Step One entails this: without a spiritual awakening, I could drink at any time, and if I drink, I might never stop. The solution to alcoholism is Step Twelve. Until we're there, we're still in the problem.
The same principles apply with other addictions, anonism, and codependency.
The Steps take a few weeks to a maximum of three months to complete (including amends). If they're taking longer, Step One needs to be revisited, because it had been lost or was never accepted in the first place.