Hi, Chris.
I don't know if I have a success story or not. Somedays I feel like I won the lottery since I quit drinking. Other days... not so much. Today, in fact, is a very sad day for me.
So yeah, I guess I'm just a sober version of me. But even on a bad day like today, I can at least feel some measure of self-respect that I'm dealing with my feelings, instead of numbing myself to them. I'm living life—the happy parts, the sad parts, the boring parts. I still have some unfulfilled goals and desires, but I can you this: I'm in a much better position to achieve them now. Being sober doesn't make those things happen, but I have to be sober in order to have a chance of making them happen.
And yeah, like you said, being sober is also very much its own reward. Even on a bad day.