A big part of recovery for me is accepting and realizing urges to drink are going to arise, especially early on. I still get them, but not nearly as often as at first. Not beating yourself up about them and acting on them is key. Taking steps to work through them and allow them to pass. This is the not drinking part.
The other part is learning to live sober, which includes addressing the underlying roots and causes, which trigger the knee jerk reaction to drink. As opposed to viewing it as work to be done, I view it more as a journey of self-improvement, fulfillment, and recovery.