Just to add to the already excellent responses here with a reminder that alcohol addiction is progressive. It never gets better over time -- only worse.
Need more and more alcohol to achieve the same amount of relaxed feeling? That's called tolerance. The withdrawal symptoms you're starting to experience when you abstain will only grow more severe the longer you drink. That's called dependence. Neither gets better on their own. They don't even level out. They only get worse the longer you drink.
The good news is that it's totally possible to stop drinking and to combat social anxiety without artificial aids like alcohol. Read around this site and you'll find many examples of successes. You can do it!
Glad you're here -- you've come to the right place.