Yeah, its not a life long struggle to stay sober. What would be the point of struggling year after year? Sure we have to change and live a sober life, but that becomes less and less a hardship as our lives become less and less soaked in alcoholism.
Looking for that next drink just drops off and eventually stops, and with it all the crap surrounding getting a drunk on.
Of course, it has to be a proper and well lived sober life, with real personal changes into sobriety, otherwise its just a continous struggle against old baggage and that really dosen't work well.
Sobriety can be happy and free of alcoholism.