Fantastic writing on a topic that resonates. I’ve also been drawn into the tracking and gamification of my alcohol consumption as a way to keep myself honest and, as you say, strive for incremental improvement. One tweak for me has been to try to solve the use case you describe with treating one sip of beer the same as a bender. I have annual targets that are for zero consumption (250) and then another 50 more for “just one” which permits and rewards a single social drink without opening the floodgates. I struggle with the “off button” so this approach offers a dopamine hit and reward while training my brain that cracking a beer on a hot day doesn’t necessarily lead to the next one.

Great read and enjoy your party with your friend on July 9th.