In terms of craving, yes, this lessens with time and we get used to being sober. However, I'm an alcoholic now just like I was when I got sober. I'm in my 20th year but I still think like an alcoholic (addiction moves to sugar, shopping, whatever) and I still have the same denial. Over the years I've seen lots of people coming back to the rooms of AA and every one says the same thing -- they stopped going to meetings. Now this isn't about AA being superior to everything else. It works for me, while other things work for other alcoholics.
But what it means is that denial is always perched on my shoulder, ready to move in and say "after all this time you can have one drink". What AA helps me remember that I'm an alcoholic, that my attempts at controlling alcohol almost resulted in my death. That I'm incapable of having just one or two.