Think about those occasions sneeker... was it really the alcohol that made it special? You can still sit out in a beer garden with friends with a nice cold drink... just not guinness. You can still enjoy a curry without cobra (trust me, this was one of my biggest fears too!). It's your alcoholic voice which is telling you that these occasions will be nothing without the booze. It's being melodramatic and exaggerating it's abilities. Alcohol doesn't actually make any occasion. Going to events sober you start noticing the amount of people who don't drink for various reasons but still have a good time.
I understand why telling people is hard too, It was a major stumbler for me early on, but now I'm proud and just tell people I gave up. Generally I get a look of shock and a 'what, forever?' comment. The world needs more sober role models, then hopefully we can eliminate the 'but everyone else does it' excuse
