A different approach - success so far

First of all, I'll tell you all that I'm a bartender, so alcohol is part of my day to day life. That is what makes Dry February a bit of a big deal.
A colleague and I are in the middle of a complete month off the alcohol. We have different reasons for doing this, mine being to see what a difference it makes to my mfp journey and weight training.
I've also cut out all cardio save for snowboarding and a 5-10min gentle warmup before lifting (I'm usually a runner) and am focusing on improving my strength rather than losing any weight. For this I've upped my calories, am eating all my exercise calories and including plenty of good carbs throughout the day.
10 days in and I can see a difference in my progress pictures already. I'm lifting much heavier than at any point before, including squatting more than my bodyweight which is a nsv for me to begin with. The most unexpected result I'm seeing, however, is my mood. At work I normally grumble and snap at rude customers, but the past few days I've felt happy and carefree, not bothered by things that usually irritate me.
At the end of the month the ban on alcohol will be lifted, but at this rate I don't see myself returning to my old ways of a shot here, a wine there.
The plan is to cut back on carbs and reintroduce cardio into my workouts for march, but this teetotal thing might just stick