A plan is absolutely vital Cohiba.
Proper preparation prevents p*ss poor performance right?
Just stopping drinking never worked for me. I'm currently enjoying my longest period of sobriety (almost 2 months) in 10 years. It has involved stepping back from the life I lived and examining it through an objective lens.
It's easy to swear off alcohol in the cold light of day after a mammoth binge. In my eyes, sobriety is built up when the hangover wears off. Every time I approached getting clean with a half-assed attitude, the alcohol took offence, and made sure I paid for my blase attitude.
You can do this, there's no doubt about it, but ignoring your recovery tools when you feel like it won't help one iota, take it from me.