I started drinking in college. Joined a fraternity--you do the math. Continued drinking steadily through my 20's and mid 30's. The older I got, the more getting wasted messed me up, e.g. worse hangovers, more blackouts, erratic behavior, forgetting the stupid things I did, etc. I drank every night, either 10-12 beers, a half a fifth of vodka, a couple bottles of wine, or some equivalent. I'd turn things up on the weekends and when camping, on vacation, etc. Toward the end I found myself increasingly drinking higher % beers so I could get drunk more quickly. I'd pour my mixed drinks ridiculously stiff to accomplish the same.
I never got a DUI (deserved one, on a number of occasions) or did anything outrageously stupid, other than beat down my liver and body for the better part of 15 years. It definitely affected my relationship with my wife, who grew tired of my steady (and increasing) drinking and sometimes obnoxious drunk behavior. We had more than a few arguments about it. I'd slow down for a few days and then ramp right back up. Then we had kids, which understandably caused her to double down on her concerns.
A little over three years ago I woke up on Christmas morning with a horrible hangover. My kids got up and were doing the typical excited Christmas morning stuff. My wife went to take a shower. I stood in the kitchen and threw up in the sink--a bunch. I remember thinking "this is f#$%ing stupid." I should have been enjoying the moment with my family. Instead I was trying to keep it together. I was tired of being hungover all the time and being fat and lazy. I grew up pretty active and had always been svelte until I started drinking heavy and subsequently eating like crap. Most importantly, I was letting my wife down and I did not want to model this type of behavior for my kids. Thankfully I quit while they were still pretty little. And I definitely didn't want to have drinking and some related disease take me to an early grave.
I drew a line in the sand and never looked back. I worried if I would find out that I was addicted. I wondered what might happen transitioning from drinking being the centerpiece of every social occasion to not drinking at all. I have never once craved a drink or missed drinking. That was a relief. My friends don't care that I don't drink any more. If they did, they wouldn't be friends. We still have non-drinking stuff in common. I still occasionally go out to a bar with friends or family. It's pretty easy to just drink water or club soda or whatever.
The only slightly awkward part of it all was perhaps turning down drinks when I first dried up. But anyone with half a brain will understand the words "no thanks" and not question it, especially if they know you were a big drinker. Plus its not really any of their business unless you want it to be. Of course I told my buddies that I quit drinking. It was interesting to find out some of them were questioning their own drinking habits. Most have slowed down themselves.
Best of all is that I got active again and started running for the first time. Three years and appx. 5000 miles later, I'm loving life, setting PRs, and having a lot of fun. I still have my old friends and we have fun together, but I also have running buddies who I've shared some great experiences and road trips with. I dropped 70 lbs and am within 5 lbs of what I weighed in high school. 5% body fat. I've never been in this great of shape, even when I was a relatively fit teenager doing a lot of outdoor stuff.
I'll end with one piece of advice. You have to figure out what compels you drink in the first place, especially if you feel like it is a problem. For me--into my 30's when things were getting problematic--I realized it was my way of detaching, relieving stress, and not giving a f#$% about whatever was bothering me. Get drunk and don't give a rip! Perfect, but actually not. Running is now an outlet for that. When I'm stressed or worked up about something, I find that after a run I have cleared my mind and feel better.
Here's wishing the best to any of you who are struggling with drinking. If you want to make a change, do whatever it takes to make it happen.