Five years.
Five years. A meaningful number in almost every framework that measures these things. Long enough to be called permanent without it being a lie.
What five years means medically
Most cardiovascular markers that improved in the first year have remained improved. Liver structure has had enough time for substantial regeneration in non-cirrhotic cases. Cognitive recovery, where it was needed, is in stable territory. None of this is a guarantee for your specific case; lab work confirms it for individuals.
What five years means psychologically
Most identity work has settled. The version of you that drinks is, for many people at this point, no longer a version of you that feels accessible. Some people will say they could not drink again if they tried. Others know they could and choose not to. Both are valid descriptions of where five-year sobriety lives.
Five years is also the point where most major studies on long-term sobriety stop collecting data, because most people who make it this far stay this far. The probability curve is shaped by selection: the people still here are the people who were going to be here. That is not a guarantee for the future, but it is a real statistical observation.