I had been drinking more or less since I was a teenager (or pre-teen?), and I live in a drinking culture (i.e., Wisconsin), but I decided to quit drinking entirely 2 years ago when the pandemic got bad. I do understand why a lot of people went in the opposite direction, drinking more during the pandemic, because it's a natural coping mechanism, so I don't criticize that. I just personally felt it was important to keep my body as healthy as possible, especially before we had vaccines. It also helped the pocketbook in economically uncertain times to not spend any money on alcohol. Now, I don't even miss drinking anymore. (I definitely did miss it for a while afterward.) I think I used alcohol too much as a crutch, in order to "have fun". I'm rewiring my brain to stop thinking I need chemical supplements in order to have fun.

I'm not trying to preach, other than to say that it is possible to break from a habit of drinking and leave it behind, if you've considered that. To be sure, I wasn't ever technically an "alcoholic", just a... normal Wisconsinite LOL. (For a laugh, here's Lewis Black on drinking in Wisconsin https://youtu.be/9m-cQin1qKE )