Thanks for the continued advice and encouragement.
I have decided to stay between 25/30 mpw since that's what people seem to agree is best.
Today I ran 7 miles at a comfortable conversational pace at 9:32 per mile average. Still zero alcohol in over 8 weeks. I am drinking plenty of water and my diet is just okay...definitely not great. I am still hovering around 223 lbs right now.