The last time I drank at a New Years' event was 2008/2009 when I drank 3/4 of a 750ml bottle of Crown Royal in less than three hours. Suffice it to say I did not have a good night.
Went almost two years without liquor until October 2010 when I walked into a Halloween party with a help-yourself open bar. About 7-8 drinks and a few hours later I was outside trying to give it all back while hunched over in a chair next to the bonfire. Several hours after that, I somehow woke up on the cold wood floor of the host's study without a clue as to how I got there.
And that's the last time I have/will touch liquor. I switched to beer-only from that point on, and was even rather sparing with that for almost another year. I finally quit it all for good in August, just a few months before I started Paleo in November. Now that I'm off of wheat/grains completely, I honestly don't think I'll ever reach for alcohol again. I used to live for that numb, dizzy feeling you get from a good buzz, but now just the thought of it starts to turn my stomach. I'm done.
I've always been a live and let live kinda guy and that hasn't changed, but for me, n=1, I simply don't see any necessary benefit to drinking alcohol. I was a regular partaker for about 10 years and it's definitely something I should have done without.
And I must admit it does surprise me a bit to see so much toleration of it in Paleo discussions, though I do understand it. If I had found Paleo a few years ago instead of now, I'd probably be singing a different song.
No judgment from me for those who want to, but my "hack" is this: Just give it up. You're already doing so much for your health having let go of everything else to be Paleo, so why not go a step further and lose the drink? Personally, I'd rather eat pizza and Krispy Kremes before I'd touch more booze. But if you insist, I would simply suggest that you take full responsibility for the decision to do so and let it be on your terms completely. No party games, peer pressure, smooth talkers, etc. just take it easy and enjoy your drink if you like.
I've made more bad decisions under the influence of alcohol than I care to think about at this point in my life, and some of them have cost me dearly. From my perspective, I have to discourage it.
Cheers, PH.