Alcohol tolerance, like recommended fermentation temp and attenuation rating, should be taken with a grain of salt. There is almost no yeast I know of that won't go to at least 10%. I've gone to 12+% with US05.
In general, your idea is close to true. But it depends on the fermentability of the wort and how much yeast you pitch. For a high gravity beer, made with a highly fermentable wort and pitched with plenty of healthy yeast, it should be a problem.