I was the same!! I thought alcohol was making my anxiety lessen…little did I realize it was making it worse! Geez. Sobriety hasn’t magically cured my social anxiety, but it does allow me the space to find ways to bring ease to myself in social situations. But yeah…it was a big AHA when I realized drinking made anxiety worse. 
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Some people know, but there’s knowing and then there’s understanding. For example, my husband tries to understand, but I can see it frustrates him when I’ve tried to hide away at past social events.
Unfortunately, I’ve not had therapy for my anxiety. It’s not an easy thing for me to access atm. I do share a comradery with a friend who has anxiety as bad as me, but it’s difficult for us to meet up and stay connected because we’re both like two awkward turtles together. 
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No thunder stolen! Honestly, I’m happy for people to share their own experiences and frustrations with social anxiety here. Your explanation about feeling pressure to be the open/funny one in the room with all the stories is spot on! I think that’s probably part of what makes me panic in social situations.
Also, because I can go from being painfully awkward to that ‘life of the party’ person when drinking, I convinced myself that I needed alcohol to get through every social event and become that person I feel everyone expects me to be. At least, that’s how it was before the drinking started getting out of hand anyway.
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