Rj,
I'm 18 months clean and you can be confident that it gets better.
The crave is there, but the feeling of dealing w life confidently sober each day better.
The sober confidence is something I did not expect when getting clean. I go into situations w little to no fear. I would mask my fear w a false confidence in the past.
I am pretty fortunate. I have several sober role models, not in AA, and several alcoholic examples, not in AA, in my life.
I see how they live, act, and react. For me....it is sobering.
Thanks.