... I decided at the age of seven never to touch alcohol, and I never have (50 years and counting). I'm not sure it had anything to do with inner strength - more like sheer pigheadedness and contrariness! When many of the adults around you are drinking to excess, and you see the consequences of that at such a young age, the only logical choice (at least to my young mind) was to avoid it like the plague...
Growing up, I saw an uncle dying in misery as a drug addict. I smoked cigarettes from 17 to 46, about 1/2 pack a day, and that was as bad as I allowed myself to do. No pot, no drug of any kind.
Also, as a kid, I observed another uncle who gambled away his vehicles, his home, stole from my grandmother, and had his wife divorce him. To this day, I do not know how to play any card game, and frankly I found them boring.
I have not done casual sex, let alone one-night stands. I am not religious, nor have higher morals than anyone else. I am not a saint. I just do not find quick sexual gratification worth the hassle or the trouble it causes.
I often talk about enjoying booze, and I drink all kinds of alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, Cognac, whiskey, rum, vodka, all sorts of liquor, etc... But I do not drink daily, or even weekly. The last time I touched liquor was 2 months ago, when my children bought me a bottle of single malt, something I have never tried. It's been even longer than that since I had a beer. In the last month, I have had two small glasses of wine.
My current addiction is to the market and economic news. That interest does not translate into me being a day trader, however. I often brag here that I trade less than the managers of Wellesley, whether that is good or bad. I find economic news (not CNBC which I do not watch anymore) interesting, just like other people like to follow sports news.