It simply stopped appealing and I miss the ritual more than the drink

My honest report is that I still drink, less, and I enjoy it more, which was not the outcome I predicted.

What surprised me was how much I did not miss it. I had expected to and I genuinely did not, and that told me something.

Something practical: I switched to something non-alcoholic that looks like a drink, and the number of questions I get dropped to zero.

My tolerance came back partially after about a year, which nobody had told me might happen and which I should have expected.

What helped was telling one friend, so that in a group there was somebody who knew and quietly covered for me.

I had one evening where I was much more affected than expected and it frightened me, and I have been careful and fine since.

Reading this at half past six with a cup of tea and nodding at every line.

Coming back a year on to say it settled into something I am comfortable with, which is less and better and much less thought about.

Somebody in this circle said that not drinking is not a moral position and does not require a defence, and I have used that at three parties.

The thing I did not expect was how much better my sleep got, and how much of what I had blamed on other things had been the drinking.

I have nothing to add and I did not want to leave it unanswered.

Nothing here is medical advice, and on interactions specifically a pharmacist will give you a better answer in five minutes than any thread.