Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement. I'm still getting used to how to reply in the forums.
Topspin, I think you are right that it is like exercise and building up strength. I like that analogy having been in bodybuilding in the past.
I hope that it is not too long before I can feel a little spark of something good. I am hanging on in the belief that I will feel better at some point and this is just my body getting back to that natural state.
I try to remember that what I feel without alcohol is more real than with it... good and the bad. I've been hiding from the bad feelings so long and have to face them in order to get to the good.
It has helped me to remind myself that feeling sad or upset or afraid won't kill me. I can endure the feelings, I tell myself. They are just feelings.
Thank you again for the encouragement.