Is it necessary to replace the void left from alcohol with another belief system??
Well for me drinking was a way of trying to fill a hole inside of me, drinking was the only solution I knew for all things in life. I found a new solution for life that replaced the alcohol so well that drinking means nothing to me today. Spirituality, not religion has provided me a solution for living that not only benefits me, but many others. The world no longer revolves around me and my self centered needs, instead today I am a part of the world and not apart from the world.
I find joy today in the joys of others, instead of finding my own joy many times as a result of ignoring the needs or feelings of my fellow man.
You mention those boring jerks who do not drink, I too avoided them, in my drinking mind if they did not drink there was no reason to be around them. In reality I reached a poiint where I avoided any one who did not drink like I did, what this led to was me drinking alone because there were very few people that drank like I did.
Keep in mind that alcoholism is a progessive deal, it took me a lot of years to progress to the point I got to before I finally knew that I had to quit or lose everything that mattered to me and then suffering from a slow and lonely death from alcoholism