Just a word about missing out on all the fun when you're sober; I was in my late teens or early 20s, working out in the woods for the Forest Service. I had recently started drinking, and in spite of the massive 3 day hangovers I got back then, I thought drinking was still great fun. So I'm having this conversation with this big muscled working guy in a sweaty shirt, with a chainsaw in one hand and an axe in the other. He seemed like one of those guys that would be living it up at a bar after work, and probably be leaving with the best looking woman in the place. I mentioned drinking, but it's too long ago to remember the context of what I said, but I never forgot his response. He explained that he thought drinking was "nothing but a way to **** your paycheck down the toilet." And he followed that with some words of advice, which I can't remember.
So much for judging a book by it's cover.
While this had little effect on my drinking at the time (it continued to get worse over the years), I couldn't help but feel a deep respect for this guy. Missing out on the fun is a relative perception. I certainly didn't feel he thought he was missing out on anything, and the "good life" for him revolved around something other than drinking. I have no idea what it was, but I recognized a determination and contentment in a guy that seemed like he could have anything he wanted just for the asking.
He was a few years older than me, and we never became friends. I have no idea what happened to him. It was just a brief encounter with almost a stranger that I never forgot. It was at a time when I was just beginning to plan my own future. While I didn't bother to incorporate his advice into my life, it stuck with me.