The question was phrased toward the individual's anecdotal experience rather than clinical studies, and this was my experience. I phrased my answer with "you" in a casual manner. In my experience it took about a month of sobriety to restore both an ability to enjoy life even at times when I normally did not drink(from things like more interest in conversations to more patience) and fully participate mentally, but the most drastic gains were made in the first 2-3 weeks. It's impossible for me to tease out which aspects were psychological versus physical.

It likely affects different people differently. Moderate alcohol consumption doesn't seem to have a long term cognitive affect for me. No difference in cognitive abilities if I had 2-3 drinks the night before or a few months before. I'd imagine heavy drinking has a different impact, but have much experience on that. Overall, it would likely be healthier to not drink.

Hangovers and negative cognitive effects of drinking increase dramatically as people age. I’m guessing you’re 30 or under.

I noticed a dramatic drop in my memory which I attribute to drinking. I stopped two years ago but I’m probably not back to where I would be if I hadn’t been drinking.