you lost a frenemy. 7 weeks is an excellent start but it's just a start. how are you doing with AA? how often is regularly? do you show up 15 minutes early and leave 15 minutes late or do you show up at :59 and leave 61 minutes later? meeting are wonderful but i only started feeling better when i became a part of my home group's community.
keep up that gratitude list and embrace it with your whole heart. write another list about the consequences and demoralizing feelings associated with drinking. keep those lists and keep adding to them. stop glamorizing your drinking by calling it your friend. for an alcoholic, booze becomes your buddy while it's stabbing you in the back over and over. turn around and see the damage it's doing to you. is that what a friend does? don't try to look far into the future and imagine it sober. live in the moment and concentrate on what's going to keep you sober today.
does it get easier? you bet your butt it does but only if you embrace sobriety as a lifestyle change, not a bandaid on a wound. if you're going to AA, seriously get there early and stay late. get phone numbers and call a fellow drunk daily. go out for coffee and go to retreats and conferences. get involved. it's a simple program. not an easy one and God knows it's a serious time commitment but it's your life.
keep moving forward and take it a step at a time. we're here for you.