I can relate Artsoul. I recently told a new coworker entering the job through a rehab program that it doesn't go away and you just need to learn to manage it. That it will be a chronic lifelong thing to manage but it's how you manage it that makes you beat it. Don't let it beat you, put it in the coffers of your mind and bury it, don't let it out. The longer it remains buried the less likely it is to surface. Just never let your guard down and always remember you are one slip away from a relapse. Bury it and leave it there like an old bone that the dog forgot.
Regarding smoking, you might be surprised at how the mind forgets this habit more easily. The first three months of my quitting smoking where nail biters but after that the cloud suddenly lifted and never returned. I think the drinker will always be in the back of mind but the smoker in me left a long time ago.