I think there are positive traits that we get from suffering from alcohol and then recovering.
Once we're sober, we're honest with ourselves. We are honest with ourselves that we cannot drink alcohol. If you're like me, this was the biggest most powerful deception of my life. The deception was that someday I would control my drinking and moderate.
I think sobriety makes us "old souls." I think once you've suffered deeply you have more empathy and understanding for others. You realize that life can be hard.