I'm in!
Great OP and responses so far. I live in a smallish town in Wisconsin - the drinking cult is very much alive and well here. Going to the tavern to socialize and drink is just what we DO here. My town of about 15,000 has 14 bars. Disclaimer - we also have a college campus, which means a few more bars, but really, it's not much different than other Wisconsin towns. In this state, if there's a wide spot in the road, someone will put a bar there. So it's just part of the social fabric to drink. It was scary at first to leave that behind - I just could not imagine what in the world I would DO if I wasn't sitting in bars and drinking. Would I lose all my friends? Would I be a social outcast? Would I just sit at home, lonely and bored? Here's what I found out - there are lots of other things to do around here that I had no idea were going on when I was still drinking. We have beautiful scenery here, and lots of places to go hiking, fishing, kayaking, whatever. There is a vibrant local music scene - and not everyone plays in bars. There are many volunteer opportunities. There are towns nearby that have interesting things to do. I'm close enough to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, that I can go to a concert, show, or nice restaurant in the evening after work if I want to. Even with all of these things to do, I now prefer to keep things simple most of the time. I really enjoy my home time - reading, cooking, hanging out with my kids, grandkid, and pets. I don't miss the endless cycle of hanging out in bars, getting drunk, suffering through hangovers, and starting over again the next day. My social life is different, but so much better. Society and the liquor industry might try to convince us that life is dull and boring without alcohol, but it's a big, fat, lie - there's a big interesting world out there that's much better enjoyed sober.