Nothing wrong with wanting a drink or wanting to get back to normal. I haven't read the links about if it's okay (because I don't drink), but the 'when' would vary by person anyway ... peppermint still burns me like crazy, five or so years out! I can't imagine anything more potent than mint or spices as even an option right now. Others go back to those foods right away. It totally varies.

Surgery 5/31/13
Tongue lesion, right side
SCC, HPV+, poorly differentiated
T1N0 based on biopsy and scan
Selective neck dissection 8/27/13, clear nodes
12/2/13 follow-up with concerns
12/3/13 biopsy, surgery, cancer returned
1/8/14 Port installed
PEG installed
Chemo and rads
2/14/14 halfway through carboplatin/taxotere and rads
March '14, Tx done, port out w/ complications, PEG out in June
2017: probable trigeminal neuralgia
Fall 2017: HBOT
Jan 18: oral surgery