Find me a substitute activity that can reduce group inhibitions, cause strangers to get along better with each other, and foment fun new spontaneous relationships and I'll consider your proposal for an alcohol free life.
Alcohol does none of those things. From cultural anthropology, we know that it's all convention: cultures vary widely in what attributes of this sort they ascribe to alcohol.
We've decided to hold each other less accountable when drinking, so we take more chances socially, knowing that we can blame it on the drug.
But this isn't a free lunch. When we make up a social state where we hold each other less accountable, we hold each other more accountable anytime else, and leave less room for those things in everyday life. If we hadn't had these magical beliefs about alcohol, we'd be much more forgiving for people who e.g. were "seeking fun new spontaneous relationships" when sober.
