The Big Book suggests that the main problem of the alcoholic centres in his mind.
In my experience, there are many situations, and not just those involving alcohol, where 'thinking it through' does not work. Generally, I need to be raised up to a higher level, and the new perspective is given to me automatically, without me having to clamber towards it.
How does one do this in practice? Staying close to God (prayer) and performing His work well (taking the right action as revealed in Step Eleven). Given enough time, all of my cognitive distortions seem to give way to a more realistic perspective without any effort on my part.