Wishing you very much success with your plan, Darrin.
Just a couple of things -- I drank like you did. For 35 years, mostly daily, the last few years about 8-10 paced from 10 a.m. to 6 or so, then benadryl and bed. A maintenance drinker. Withdrawal was hard, and so was getting sober. I had a chemical dependency and an alcoholic-dependent motivational system, plus a lot of other goop. So it may not be as easy for you as we hope.
Also I don't recommend the prospective "carrot" of the occasional bender. Bingeing is harder on the body than maintenance drinking. And from my reading on SR, it seems to be harder to quit.
Please keep posting, no matter what!