I never drank much, when I did drink -- but when my wife went to treatment and got sober almost 15 years ago, I gave it up as well. That sh*t's poison, and neither you nor I need it.
They've done some research ("they" being people at the University of Chicago and elsewhere) showing that alcoholics have physiological differences from "normies" in terms of how their brain and liver respond to and process alcohol. The AA Big Book talks about how Dr. Bob felt that alcoholism was a physical illness -- back when the book was written, there wasn't much research to back it up, but now there is.
If you have to drink to have fun, that's fake fun. It's pervasive in our culture, but f890 it -- we don't need it. All the rationalizations in the world -- goofy names for mixed drinks, excuses people give cops, explanations for why they're just "celebrating," whatever -- it's all BS. If you want to have a drink, go ahead -- I can do without it.
The best part is... how much my wife and I save on the cost of a meal in a restaurant. I forget about that, until we go out with people who are drinking, and their tab ends up being almost twice what we're paying!
T