Congratulations! As time moves on it will get easier, and your coping mechanisms will get stronger. Keep up the fight!
Just some perspective, but I would avoid this idea. Especially when it comes to being around old friends that were drinking buddies. In fact, I would argue that it becomes more difficult as time goes on. It will get easier to talk yourself into relapsing with justification games ("It's been a year, surely I can handle just one and stop there" "I won't let it get so bad this time, I know what the warning signs are now," etc.), especially if you put yourself into situations where you're virtually the only other person not drinking in a large group, or you're in a bunch of situations where you used to drink fairly heavily. If your goal is to never drink again, be aware of the justification game your mind will play.
That said, good job on realizing the justification was there.