When I started drinking, I liked the sensation immediately. I was underage so I went months or even years between drinks. In college I really started to take off, and then I more or less drank at normal levels for twenty years with no apparent problem. My drinking only really went out of control after the end of a serious, long relationship and it just got worse from there for two or three years. I was at my worst in 2013 and really don't remember very much from that year. I've posted this before, but I was genuinely surprised to learn that the Seahawks won the Superbowl that season, even though followed the team. I didn't know that until my then fiance told me in 2016. Likewise, I have virtually no knowledge of movie, TV or cultural events from that time period.
What was the question again? Why did I drink. The break up mostly and then I got addicted. What I found was that drinking masked a whole host of issues in my life that I was forced to confront as I got sober. I had a ton of deferred emotional issues that I have had to unravel, and I'm glad I've been able to work on myself after getting sober.