Nice one Mate!!
I totally agree with what you say about it being about WAY more than just putting the booze down.
It is relativiely easy to abstain from the booze for a short period of time but it's the staying off of it that is the difficult bit. That involves much work on your own part trying to firstly accept that you are 100% alcoholic and then to make sure you change your "Head" in-order to maintain "grateful sobriety". My opinion of course.
For me the second when I start becoming ungrateful for my sobriety is when I get my ass back to AA meetings to get my gratitute back.
Keep it up man.