i have a very similar story as i am a shy person by nature and use alcohol to feel comfortable and happy in social situations. i have made a lot of good drinking friends and completely enjoy drinking beer with them. but after i became an alcoholic, i started to drink alone. i usually surf the internet and play video games while i fall into my comfortable buzz.
at 36, i have now been heavily drinking for 9 years. i have always had little rules that have saved me somewhat like not drinking till 5:30 or buying my typical 8 pack. also i have quit periodically like a lot of people. i have made 3 serious sober runs over the years that had to do with health concerns and spending more time w/ the computer than w/ the very friends i coveted.
the 1st run lasted 2 months, the 2nd 4 months, and my last one lasted 6 months. i always lose a lot of weight, exercise, and get to the point where i say this isn't so bad. and each time the thing that brought me back was missing my old social life with my friends. i would still visit my friends while sober but it just isn't the same. i wanted that old social feeling and laughter. when sober, i'm just not that fun to be around. and after each relapse, i always had a plan that i was convinced would work. it would usually start w/ only drinking one day a week w/ friends. but that was never the fun i remember because i got so ripped that it was like a manic drinking session. so then it would become only on weekends. the second day would not feel so manic, more of the comfortable buzz i remember. but eventually after a few successful weeks or months of drinking reasonably, i would fall back to old patterns. continuing different plans, stopping for a day or two but always, always falling back to the worst.
and after each relapse, the following bender would be worse with more alcohol and worse health concerns. recently i have developed sleep apnea, hurt my knee, back problems, etc..
so my advice to you is to not chance it. try some different things like taking adult classes, painting, yoga, or something you enjoy. where you can be in social situations but can also focus on a task to take the social edge off.