I actually stuck around on the stock launcher longer than I thought I would, even without the app launcher.
But then I installed the apk for the pixel launcher and then jumped to Action Launcher 3,which is never used before. I'm enjoying AL3 but my battery life has been a bit suspect; maybe it's the culprit. Come to think of it, I think I had better battery life before I installed AL3... Didn't realize that until now lol.