I get a lot of that comfort that I would seek from drinking by running. A good, hard run gives me a little bit of that soothing feeling I would get from a beer buzz.
A big difference with a run is I pre pay. I push myself out the door when I don't feel like it. I push myself hard when it's not always comfortable. With a beer buzz i pay later and there is more to pay than a bar tab. It never ends with a buzz. There is the headache and anxiety the next day. The did i act like an idiot. The drugs and other trouble it leads to. That buzz from running makes me more content. I dont feel the need to keep running all night. With drinking I'm still never happy, its never enough, all the comfy buzz does is make me drink me more.