I'm still early in this with only about 10 months sober. I wish I would have given into sobriety sooner than I did. 20+ years of heavy drinking is a lot of lost memories, years that I won't get back.
I was scared and until I found this site and read others' trials and triumphs, I didn't think it was even possible. I thought I was alone.
When you commit, go 110%, leave absolutely no opening for your AV to come in once the "newness" of sobriety has tapered off. Each time I relapsed I had let my guard down and found myself spending less and less time here at SR. I reverted to the option I had left myself in the beginning "I might have a drink someday". When that "someday" came, what a mistake it was. I got worse and worse until I was drinking around the clock; and justifying every drink as "normal".
So thankful for this site, spend as much time here as you can. This community has truly given me my life back.