I'm a 17 yr old male soon to be 18 in a month and I need tips to stop a habbit that's not benefiting my life and is clearly an escape mechanism from the stresses of life. The first time I got drunk was in year 8 and it was fun but I didn't 'need' to drink at social activities and as I was so young I wasn't interested in doing it often and I didn't at all until I rediscovered it in year 10 when I drank beer and loved it, since those first 3 beers in year 10 I'd constantly try and get beer when I was around 18 year Olds, but since I only knew two 18 yr Olds in year 10 it was hard to get drinks so I only drank once or twice a month usually having an odd beer or two when they were at home or a friend's house. Anyway skip forward to year 12 at the present moment. Whenever I go to meet friends now it must always involve alcohol or I'm usually not bothered to go out and just stay at home, this has been going on for a year now. All of my friends are kinda like me and drink almost every weekend alone or with people. Within the past month I've noticed a change in my drinking tolerance, before when I drank a six pack I was blind drunk but now I don't get beer because it doesn't get me drunk and I've turned to spirits, since I've turned to spirits I've noticed that my memory of the nights out is almost always very vague and I only remember some parts of the night, I hate my bad memory when I drink because I'm not used to it and it concerns me. Anyway so I've noticed that every weekend on a Friday arvo I can't sit at home and relax without having alcohol which I think is a problem. I've tried to stay sobour all weekend for the past month but every weekend I end up calling and texting people to go out and get drunk. I've got to the point where my nights are absolutely shit if I'm not drinking. I want to be sobour and have fun while completely I sobour only drinking a few times a year but I'm finding it hard. If you stop drinking do you start having fun again while sobour? And how long does it take until you don't have the desire to drink at all. Please give me tips on how to stay sobour. (I do have experience in quitting various substances I was majorly addicted to successfully, they were weed and nicotine. And yes I was psychologically addicted to weed, it happens). Thankyou everyone for reading this.