Haven't read the entire thread, but curious what was the breaking point for you? I've many times swore off alcohol even before legal drinking age, from getting my stomach pumped at 15 to considering jumping off the Brendan Bryne arena roof at a U2 concert at 17. To this day, I'm not sure how I didn't get a dwi when I totaled my CRX running into a van on Rt22 at 4am.
For the past 30 years, I've been a big binge drinker. I could go a week or two without drinking then I'll polish off a gallon of something hard in a week. Quit for a few weeks then repeat again. In 2019, some personal issues had me drinking more regularly and then the pandemic even "validated" that it was "okay" to be an alcoholic. The spouse and I were both in this funk and usually hid our daily routines, though neither of us were willing to call each one out.
In late 2022, MrsQ gave it up cold turkey, and I'm really proud of her. When I'm around her, I don't drink. But when she's away for a period of time, I'll binge. The first drink is always so damn good, then there's a second and others till I pass out. But for the past 6 months, I've only binged 2-3 times, so it's progress. Though I can't have an open bottle in the house. Hoping the gaps get larger, but know I'll never stop at just one. Work in progress-
