Around the time I turned 80, I made firm a decision that I didn’t want to spend my few remaining years in an alcohol induced haze. I had known for many years that I didn’t have a good relation with drinking and that I was much better off sober. So, on a particular day I made the decision to permanently quit and did so. Sure, there have been a few rocks in the road but I have been able to remain sober in spite of them. It helped that I was able to resurrect some of my old hobbies as distractions. This site and my lurking here also helped a lot. As for any recovery programs, I never felt the need although some of the ideas in AVRT helped me past the occasional temptation.