well...it is true that when I had not drank for 7 years and didn't have that draw to alchohol I was at a point where I had delt with so many of those pain issues that I had in my life....not 100% and not a total fix...but so much.....
so yes....it is also my expereince that dealing with those pain issues without alchohol is necessary in order for me to maintain sobriety...Not to say those pains don't still come up, but having a new way to work through that rather than the bottle...
I'm glad though that the thought of drinking it is no longer a looming black cloud in my life 24/7.