Sometimes, working the Steps from scratch is necessary.
Sometimes, however, it makes the problem worse.
How is that possible?
Sometimes, what is needed is changed beliefs, thinking, and behaviour. The first nine Steps clear the way; the last three Steps implement the new beliefs, thinking and behaviour.
The first nine Steps focus on the problem. The last three Steps focus on the solution.
On more than one occasion, rather than change, I have gone back into the first nine Steps to focus even more on the problem.
Firstly, that's really time-consuming.
Secondly, it delays change.
Thirdly, it encourages self-absorption.
There are times when I had to go through the first nine Steps thoroughly and from scratch as though nothing had been done before.
But, before engaging in a process that can take hundreds of hours and take away from Step Twelve, from change, and from living, here are three other options:
Option 1: Abandon myself 100% to Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. Make it my mission. Try that for a few months, and then see if there is a problem. This has worked well on more than one occasion.
Option 2: Troubleshoot an area with Steps One through Nine. This takes maybe a few hours. A morning or an afternoon is usually sufficient, although the amends may take a few days to arrange and follow through.
Option 3 (with compulsive behaviour): Take Steps One to Three with a sponsor who specialises in the area in question (e.g. food, gambling, sex), establish bottom lines and accountability structures, then resume Steps Ten to Twelve.
Postscript: beware of doing the Steps again and again in different fellowships, to gather information and techniques. I've tried that, and it can easily become a socially acceptable form of self-absorption.