SoberD,
One last thing--you sound like you might be a "high-stim" seeker like myself---always needing novelty and adrenaline--and I've found that people like us often use alcohol to let off steam and all that nervous tension that builds up. I don't if you can relate, but I've seen this pattern in other people of a similar nature.
Cheers, and now I really am getting on my bike (it's raining, so I'm procrastinating. I wish I lived in R.M front range, as I did many years ago. So...dry!)
Cheers.