I had the luxury of working on sobriety while being out of work. I quit my job and quit drinking soon afterward. A few weeks into the No Drinking mode, I was starting to get sluggish and didn't know what the heck was going on. The gumption I thought I'd had (to work on my next piece of business) went out the door, so I just took it easy. I was a little astounded I had quit and not fought with myself on an ongoing basis or given in after one day of debates with myself. (I just finished a measly 3 beers that were left over, right when closing time was approaching and when I would've been in no position to go and get more; turned everything off; and, with that status of being effectively "screwed" and a guideline not to buy more the next day, pulled the blankets over me and slept. And never got anymore.)
I started to feel like I could be facing a state of misery, now that I had no job and little understanding of what to do with myself next, so I just cleaned house (literally) for a long time, let's call it. Then I made routines for myself to maintain that had progressively disintegrated in the last few years. I incorporated some kind of exercise in to the day; writing to myself; checklists. Then eventually looking for work, then walking, then eating more (and more varities). On and on. But didn't accomplish much in terms that I was used to (people seen, work done at an employer, places to have been, things to have been bought and paid for). I made my life a sort of detox and rehab of my own with attempts to ease back into work along the way. That's why I refer to it as a luxury, because a lot of people don't have that. But somehow there was a One Day at a Time in there.
Now I am working again and am feeling some challenges, fears, and growing pains. Thoughts of drinking did resurface a few weeks into it, but I think every day about how fortunate I am not to be drinking - and: how astounded I still am that I have not bought more to drink. It'll be a year in a little less than a month, for me. Working as well as milestones that approach have been the things that make me wonder if I am doing well enough, am fit enough in my sobriety. Sometimes I downplay them, so that I don't get arrogant or whatever emotion will make me less confident. Then I switch and check on how long it's been and pay myself some credit. Since I always have been a closet "accepter" of compliments, it's nothing new to me to avoid good feelings in the now and look for tasty table droppings of happiness later. That might be a core piece to my thinking problem upon which my alcoholism had a foundation, in fact. So that's another thing I have been monitoring in me. But I do what I can.
Now that I have rambled this long, I guess the only message for myself (I don't know about anyone else), is that I just do what I can, and earn the confidence, pay it back, earn some more, etc. One day at a time it somehow happens, and I can screw it up any time, but don't want to.