If you want to know how to stay sober then here are some suggestions for you:

1) Make a decision - this is a central concept in 12 step programs such as AA. If you are going to actually stay sober in the long run then your fundamental decision to change your life has to be made with a strong commitment indeed. If you are just at the point where you think it would be nice to be living an alcohol free life, then you are probably not going to be able to make sobriety work for you just yet.

The idea is that you have to really surrender to your disease of alcoholism if you are going to turn your life around. If you keep struggling and fighting to control your alcohol intake then you are not ready to quit drinking. It is only after you truly surrender to the idea that you can not drink like a normal person that you know you are ready to change your life.

2) Take action - talk is cheap. It is easy to sit around and talk about how you are going to get sober one day. It is another matter entirely to actually get off the couch and do something about your problem. For most people, a good first step in trying to tackle their addiction will be to go to a treatment center. Rehab is not cheap these days and you might have to jump through some hoops in order to secure funding. If you want  bad enough then you will do what it takes to get your self into treatment.

Rehab is not going to have all the answers in the world for you, but it can make a solid foundation and give you the start that you need in recovery. Plus you can usually meet a lot of other neat people who are also struggling along the same path that you are on. Peer support is particularly important in early recovery and if you want to stay sober in the beginning then you are going to need help from these people. Concentrate on networking at first and you will have a stronger recovery for it.

3) Use overwhelming force - The secret to staying sober in early recovery is to use overwhelming force. This means you need to go way above and beyond what you think is necessary in order to stay sober. If you think one AA meeting per day will work, then try going to 2 each day. If you think getting a sponsor will help, then get a sponsor who will meet with you every single day for the first 30 days. If you think going to treatment will help, then consider going to long term treatment. You get the idea. Go above and beyond in your recovery efforts and this will generally help you to get decent results.