Just needed a friend to care enough to say something so simple, and it changed my life. Sobriety is terrifying for so many, but in my experience it was absolutely worth it.
Being myself, knowing myself without the dull edge of substances, actually being present in my life and in other's lives. Drugs were an escape, a place to hide and avoid. Facing reality, while difficult, was such a more fulfilling experience than when constantly running from my own existence.
And then you get drunk again and forget them, rinse and repeat.
Physiological dependence ends within weeks, and they say after that people relapse basically because their life is bad and they miss being a checked-out junkie. OP's response kind of reinforces that; they have a life now, and they enjoy it, so they don't want to go back.
Obviously from everyone else's perspective it doesn't help. That and your reasoning are basically why I've stayed away from drugs and alcohol completely (and avoided caffeine), but I pride myself on being open-minded. As weird as it sounds, I need to at least consider that the guy on the piss-soaked mattress might have a point, or I'm not being intellectually honest.