I stopped drinking at 56. I had a cancer diagnosis and needed major surgery. I had been thinking about stopping for a few years and spoke about it endlessly with a friend who had stopped but I never thought that I could do it and couldn't imagine a life without drinking.
I stopped after the op and decided I would not have a drink for a while, until I had recovered. Somehow one week turned to two, two weeks into a month and then I found myself aiming for six months and then a year. Once I got to a year I knew I wanted to do two years and after a while I secretly began aiming for completely stopping. I have never said out loud that I don't intend to drink again but that's my aim.
The early days were hard, especially Friday and Saturday nights. I used to pour myself a nice soft drink in a wine glass or a special glass with ice and lemon, etc. I had a wedding a month or so after stopping and that was a challenge, as was my birthday, the first holiday, the first Christmas etc. However, I have never woken up after a really late night or a party and wished I had drunk the night before :)
I will be coming up for four years this May and use the Try Dry app: I am 1359 days in, have saved 6524 units, not spent £7048 on alcohol and have saved 452,000 calories. Of course I have had substitute soft drinks, some of them not cheap so those stats are a bit meaningless. Also, I can't remember what data I put in to the app to get those stats but I would say I was a regular drinker, perhaps 5 days out of 7, usually half a bottle of wine, but quite a bit more at a party or special occasion.
As I got older I found it really hard to process booze and felt hung over on much less. If I went to a dinner party and was being topped up and lost track of what I was drinking, I would invariably feel rough the next day and rely on carbs to level out my blood sugar.
Do I miss drinking, yes, I do, but not enough to go back to it. I would like to be able to have a drink on special occasions only, but realistically I know I would slip back to drinking a bit too often. I definitely feel better for not drinking and the best thing is a late night but waking up the next day feeling tired but not dehydrated, or with a head ache or craving some carbs.
I don't have any problem going out with people who drink, I (hope I) don't preach or think others should stop, and my DH drinks (but not lots and I very rarely see him even tipsy, let alone drunk). But alcohol is a funny thing and I think a fair few people who do drink do actively try to cut back or limit it so it is definitely a complicated relationship for some. All that said, when I am out and see a glass of red wine being poured for someone else, I momentarily have a longing, but it is fleeting and once I get over that feeling, I forget about drink and am able to enjoy the evening just as I would have done when I was drinking.
OP, do you think you can do it? I never thought I could but the reality has been much easier than I thought and I am pleased to not have the complication of deciding whether or not to drink on an evening, or deciding when to stop after the first glass or two. There is also the great bonus of always being able to drive and not having to plan public transport or cabs.