Hi everybody,
I'm happy to report that last night went very well. With your words of encouragement and caution I felt well-prepared for the various situations I was worried about. Like a couple of you said, hardly anyone seemed to care about my non-drinking status. One friend busted my chops earlier in the day for turning down a beer. It was funny, nothing hurtful. Later on he asked me if I wasn't drinking at all and when I told him that I hadn't had a drink in 9 months, he apologized for pressuring me (I told him that I didn't feel any pressure and that no apology was necessary) and told me re was considering giving drinking up himself. I got complimented a few times on my slimmed-down beer-free appearance, got to catch up and share laughs with a lot of old friends, and even made my way onto the dance floor. All in all it was a great night, one that I will be able to cherish for a long time.
One thing I did notice being sober is that not nearly as any people get as sloppily drink as I had always assumed during my drinking. I figured everybody drank to lose control of themselves when in fact most people remarkably drink responsibly. After seeing some of the obnoxious, boorish behavior of the few people who did get bombed, I am so happy I can now be fully present and enjoy celebratory occasions like yesterday. Thanks to everybody who helped me out yesterday, it really want a lot!