If it was so easy that you got sober the first time without any effort or challenges, you probably weren't an alcoholic in the first place.
I've been reading The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmund Tutu. Last night I came across this: "The acceptance of reality is the only place from which change can begin." Those fortunate enough to have no clue what it's like to live in active addiction sometimes refer to our bottoms as a "moment of clarity." Personally, it was anything but clear... it was an overwhelming sense of despair. In retrospect, that is what it took for me to truly commit to getting sober. My first sponsor told me never to forget my last drink... or chances were I hadn't had it yet. This is the nature of our disease: it never goes away.
Pressme, the only thing special about the folks that "make it" is that they do what they have to stay sober... every. single. day. If you always remember today, you have a pretty good shot of never having to repeat it.
Good luck - keep posting!