Originally Posted by
NobleCause 
I don't think that wanting sobriety completely, yet still being struck by the compulsion to drink during difficult times are mutually exclusive phenomena.
Absolutely right. Equally correct is the fact that being struck by the compulsion and resisting it are not mutually exclusive. The early stages of sobriety suck. Think - do you really want to go through that again - or is it worth sucking it up and going on to an easier path daily?