sarag96

You may find after a period of not drinking that you have no desire to.
You might only go out once or twice every couple months now, but when you lose weight and have more energy and a new attitude towards life, you will probably go out more. Plus 21 is coming up and you will actually be legal.
I expect you will want to party and enjoy life. A lot of people your age binge drink anyway, I know I did at that age, well kinda.
You can drink socially, just be careful. Everything that OkPirate said was good advice.
Now I enjoy being sober and being the designated driver. I have a big personality and I don't need alcohol to be fun. It is also interesting to watch other people drink and how it affects them.
Just think about it carefully and proceed with caution.
Sometimes when these alcohol threads come up everyone says you will be come a drunk or whatever. That really isn't the case for everyone. Just being aware can help you avoid a lot of the pitfalls.

Your experience may vary, but mine was I had a very rough time getting to the point of inebriation. Seems to zip right through my sleeve.
I would suggest you wait until goal before you start and then proceed carefully. Don't drive the first time you try (better at home with friends). Some women seem to get snockered very quickly and that can be dangerous at a club.
To help prevent "transference" addiction, look up The Sinclair Method. Dr. Sinclair discovered that the use of the drug Naltreone seems to block the endorphin rush you get when you drink. It is usually prescribed for people with opiate and alcohol addiction, but I don't know why it can be used as a prophylactic to prevent developing a physiological dependency. (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2899995/)
PS - Let me add LISTEN to your friends. If they suggest you have a problem...YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. They may be polite, but it takes a great deal for most people to bring up such a sensitive situation. Probably enough said there.