I've been thinking about your post of "easing back more gracefully."
From my own experience, I cannot afford to leave my recovery zone. If I put in the work on a daily basis then I am setting myself up for long term success. I think we need to put a little in each day even after months, years, decades of sobriety. There are people on this forum who have one month, one year, two, five, 10, 15 and even 30 years of sobriety. They have shown that they are committed and have a practice of focusing on recovery every single day.
Just food for thought......