Congrats on the pretty damned significant milestone, John! I've seen alcohol destroy and take far too many lives. In my drinking days, I could easily go weeks or even months without a drink, but I could never "one drink" an outing. There were always shots involved, etc. When I took myself out of the "social drinking club," the biggest realization I had was what an enormous waste of time, emotion, mental & physical health drinking is--too many people I knew (including myself at one point) centered their lives on social drinking. I felt like I was sleeping through life -- that once I chose to take it out of my social equation, I woke up. Life still can suck, but at least I'm awake through it all.