For many of us, alcohol does have benefits for us but they are generally short term benefits that lead to long term, negative consequences. 1 hour of relaxations followed by several hours of increasing inebriation, a day of sickness and possible long term legal and or social disruptions for that 1 short hour of "fun". There are some interesting books, videos out there that talk about the neuroscience of alcohol and how for some people, it triggers parts of our brain necessary for survival that mix both pleasure and survival traits (like the adrenaline rush or learning to walk as a baby, while ignoring the pain of falling over and over) so those pleasurable moments are indeed real but ultimately destructive.
I made the decision to let go of the nightlife and bar scene period of my life to get sober. I knew I could not recreate that same type of atmosphere and environment in sobriety, the nights of spontaneous actions with no regard for the consequences. I had to let that go and accept it would no longer be a part of my life moving forward. It couldn't be if I were to get sober. So, I hear you on learning to let go and even grieving the loss of something that was ultimately bad for us but still gave us pleasure from time to time.