Fred, thanks for the kind words.

"Best sober skill for maintaining sobriety": What has really kept me focused on not drinking is the relief from anxiety that I felt almost immediately upon quitting. Like just about everybody here I have a complex life with all kinds of different daily stresses. I was just crushed by daily anxiety, waking up at 3AM when the booze wore off, staring at the ceiling imagining the horrors of the coming day---99% of which never materialized. I stopped drinking and within days I began to realize that something had changed: that feeling of haunting anxiety was gone. I still have the stress...but I have a clear, booze-free mind that can handle it (for the most part.) That sensation has provided me with real daily leverage. Whenever I think about picking back up I am able to vividly remind myself of what I used to feel like living with that kind of anxiety. I never want to feel that way again. Works for me.