It would be wrong of me to disagree about the sobriety thing, seeing as most of my time outside the 9-5 is spent in a rather fragrant haze. Most of the time. I just like it. Feels good, man. If I have accomplished my daily goals, and I normally have, then finishing the day with a little couch vacation, pipe in hand, cold drink at my side, is a perfectly reasonable way to end a long, hard day.
It's not mandatory, but I certainly enjoy having the capability to do it. It should be my prerogative as a responsible adult to do what I want, as long as I'm not hurting others in the process of doing it. If I want to spend a Friday night swilling a 12-pack and enveloping myself in a heavy, sweet-smelling haze, by golly, I will do exactly that.
I don't do it to pursue happiness, or escape my life, or feel better about myself, I do it because I just...like doing it. That's all. Getting a little pleasantly fucked up and a good nice heady high...it's just nice.
That's all.
I do worry for people who spend their entire lives living such a way, and worry for those who think they NEED to distance themselves from a sober reality, or justify such a lifestyle as a need for their happiness. It usually points to deeper problems than just boredom or a general dis-ease with being on the square.