Getting sober has been surprisingly rewarding for me.
I had always drank wine socially, a glass or two with dinner. In my 40's, I started to drink more, a half-bottle most evenings. Then I noticed it was becoming 3/4 of a bottle, and once in awhile a whole bottle of wine. I don't go to many parties, but I went to a couple of work-related events where I drank more than I intended, and drove home drunk from one. I was also taking one or two pain pills most nights for chronic back pain (prescribed, but not meant to be mixed with wine!).
It wasn't all that dramatic, but I could just feel that alcohol and the painkillers had a "pull" that was becoming troubling ... I felt like I was slowly, subtly losing control. I also had a very negative, pessimistic mindset, despite having fortunate circumstances in my life ... it seemed I wasn't as happy as I could have been.
I thought about quitting for a year or two ... then one day, kind of out of the blue, I decided it was time, so I quit alcohol and pills. I went to AA because I wanted to take some kind of action to support my decision. I participated actively for a year, worked the steps with a sponsor, and got a lot out of it, although I also struggled with aspects that didn't make sense to me. It didn't seem like a fit for the long term.
I read a ton of books on addiction, visited a SMART meeting and a Lifering meeting. I discovered SR, and eventually discovered AVRT in the secular forum. Ultimately AVRT was the thing that seemed to most accurately fit my own inner perception of my addiction and life after addiction, so that is the paradigm through which I now operate.
In the 2+ years I've been sober, I've experienced so many unexpected gifts. The biggest changes have been to my mood and perception-- I've been freed from the depression that alcohol was causing, and I feel much more positive, grateful, calm, and present/awake to my own life. This change in me caused a positive shift in my marriage - communication and connection are much, much better.
Of course there were some uncomfortable moments, challenges, and difficulties getting used to living sober and not relying on chemicals to cope. But they weren't as hard as I had feared, and it has been very much worth it.