I think you've got some good suggestions already. You get conditioned to expect alcohol as a de-stressor so it takes time to rebuild to handle stress in different ways.
Nons has a good point about thinking about drinking. I've been sober almost 3.5 years and I still periodically think about having a beer when I get stressed out. But that's just it. It's a thought. I don't follow through with the thought. Usually something comes along to knock it out of my head.
When I'd been sober about 6 months I had a really really hard time dealing with stress related to my work commute. I got SO angry about it. I said the serenity prayer a lot. I cried a little. I swore a lot. I got through it. I kept busy and I kept repeating "this too shall pass." It did pass.
I'm back to a spot where work is really stressful again. I try repeating "this too shall pass" but lately it feels like a hollow promise because even though it passes, something worse has been coming along to take its place. What do I do? I'm posting and reading here more often again. I'm reaching out to friends. I'm dreaming about what I would do if I win the lottery. I stay too much in my head but at least it's more creative than picking up a drink to cope.
Hang in there.