Well that’s one more interesting subject that you are broaching here @lilyraabe.
I used to be a very heavy drinker, actually it was my everyday ritual and in large quantities too. At some point four years ago I decided to quit everything addictive as a self cleaning process and for proving to myself that I can. Three months later I realized not only that I don’t need all thοse things but I don’t even like it any more.
Ever since I have been drinking a little bit from time to time and mostly due to social pressure or some times a kind of nostalgia about the taste and the fun that goes along but the last year those times become even less frequent.
I don’t know why alcohol has become such a powerful socialization tool but I do know that when your milieu realises that you really don’t fancy drinking anymore then the whatever pressure is going away and they just ignore the fact that the liquid in your glass is different from the one in theirs.
In conclusion I could copy paste the last paragraph of your post, I couldn't have written it better myself :)