"If I can save one person's life through explaining my history I will have achieved my purpose on this board."
Well put. I think that's what this forum and others are all about -- comparing notes, asking questions of others that are in the same boat. What is evident from your, my and others' stories is that it is possible to take control of one's individual situation and in some cases, have a dramatic, positive affect on the living of one's own life.
I'm not as angelic as you are -- I still smoke like a steam engine (youngsters may have to Google steam engine ;-) and drink rum/wine (I have homelife troubles with hair on 'em ... subject for another forum ;-) but as my MS afflicted daughter-in-law agreed the other day, being diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening disease at a relatively early stage can sometimes be the best thing that can happen to a person -- if they make the decision to act on it.
The extremely quick and doctor-amazing results of (what I have found to be quite simple) deemphasizing the thrill, fun, social aspects and supposedly required love of food has given me the motivation to tackle all my other bad habits. By that I mean, my truck needs fuel -- it doesn't love fuel. My motivation now is I think of me as a vehicle that has simple needs and requires regular maintenance. Also, I just love the expression on my doc's face when I keep producing normal test results 
The end game may be inevitable but there are many moves yet to be made.
P.S. Can you do my taxes for me please? The government thinks I'm rich but I'm not ;-)