I'm sorry i haven't read the whole topic (but i will!) but here's what i have to contribute to the main topic.
what really helped me getting back into guitar was the following things:
first doing something completely different, i'm on an acoustic fingerstyle trip these days and it really helped me put a time for guitar in my schedule since the stuff i want to learn is quite hard on the fingerpicking hand (tallest man on earth is gooood stuff).
when i discovered guthrie govan, he was so ridiculous i felt i needed to have a go at some of his stuff. but he showed me that it's possible to have crazy technique but still have a good note choice and phrasing.
jam tracks, alot of them. when i play over the same jam tracks for too long, i have to change, because after a while you get used to the changes and they don't surprise you so much anymore. i think trying to improvise helps alot.
funny thing. when you have a bout of drunk playing, try to record it. listen to it the next day, while some parts are abysmal, the carefree drunk kind of playing sometimes brings out natural stuff you didn,t think about.
physical limitations. i have a guitar strung with heavy heavy heavy strings so bending is a no no, so i have to focus on note choice. i have another strung with 10's, which for me is very light, so the legato works really well and i go for two handed stuff, and it really helps with your ear training as far as bending goes. you listen to the note, not how hard you bend.
remove the gain? try new tones! i was a humbucker man for so long but i'm having fun with stratty sounds nowadays and it really brings out new licks in me.
also, don't be afraid to mess up?
