SR is a great place to start, welcome. Sounds like alcohol has caused you a lot of problems, as it has for just about everyone else here.
For one thing, you'll most likely need to find other social activities and other people to be around that don't involve drinking or drugs.
You may want to seek out some local support too such as NA or AA.
Regarding quitting for a while and trying to "change", try working on just quitting for now. Worry about a year from now when that time comes.