Originally Posted by
davaidavai 
Sometimes i worry that the core of sobriety and the impulse toward is really a rationalization of an underlying impulse toward a ritualistic format for living. Somber, pleasure free, contemplative, alone. A carthusian monk.
I think that's a common worry, yet unfounded. Entire cultures exist and thrive without alcohol or drugs. Even in western cultures some of the brightest and most successful/charismatic people choose not to use mind altering substances, and not just because of addiction.