I would add: I have a friend that used to be a prison guard. He sometimes heard someone about to be released remark they were going to stay out of Y town or stay away from a certain group of [former] friends.
All well and good, but for some people, a lifestyle change is what they need because every town had bad elements and bad people. For some, it won't be going to bars and not drinking, it means not going to bars. It may mean acquiring a social circle of people who don't drink, and hobbies that people enjoy without alcohol. It's a valid choice. There are people on this board who not only don't drink themselves, but will only choose partners who are abstinent, too. I wouldn't be surprised if a recovering addict made such a choice.