I can only imagine there are potential lung issues. I am also worried about hot vapors hitting the back of my throat, so one thing I have adapted is that I never turn up the temp of the vape to get the last few hits out. That helps.

Edibles would be better from a health perspective, but they provide a very different effect to vaping. I do have some edible tincture which I mostly only ever have when I'm very sick and playing video games all day. But I vape a pure sativa for it's feelings of wakefulness, and it is hard to find pure sativa edibles. They do exist though, and I think some day I may switch to them. But they take much longer to take effect and they last much longer. I think they also have different psychoactive effects, but that may be down to the different strains used in the edibles I have found.

I've been there with the drinking. Good on you for going 6.5 years! In my original story I left out some details. Marijuana helped me break my nightly binge drinking habit but I continued to drink recreationally for some years. However currently it has been 10 months since I have had any alcohol and I feel great. No interest in starting back up. The plan was to go at least a year but even when the pandemic ends and parties start up again (end of this year maybe) I might just continue to abstain. Alcohol has not been good for me. I am very happy to be away from it.