Welcome back from me too LadyB.
You're right - sobriety needs to takes priority over everything else - but not just to get a running start...I think it needs to be a permanent change. It needs to be more important than things like pride and family even.
For me, to change my life I had to change my priorities. I have to keep sobriety at the top, all the time, because everything else good I have comes from me staying sober.
D