I'd say there's a third type - those who are truly free from alcohol addiction. The type who does not accept one crutch for another. The type who no longer allows alcohol to be a defining power in any way, shape, or form in their life.
Personally, I think the whole concept of 'alcoholism is a disease' is misleading at best, and potentially one of the greatest swindles an alcholic can fall victim to.
Is heroin addiction a disease? I see no difference between the two. There is a state of physical addiction to a chemical. And yes, it is a progressive addiction. And I do believe there may be genetic factors that make some people more easily addicted, but that doesn't make it a disease in my mind.
The plain and simple fact is that if an alcoholic stops drinking and clears it from his system, from then on it is a matter of choice. Calling it a disease is giving a dry alcoholic a convenient out - and I've seen far too many take it. It provides the 'I can't help it - I have a disease' excuse. It removes personal responsibility and accountablility. In many ways, I see it as the same type of deception that keeps the poor dependent on the government; "It's ok, you can't help yourself".
I do not say these things with any self-righteousness or pride. I speak as one who destroyed 10 years of my life with alcohol addiction - an addiction that derailed the dreams of my youth and caused me to squander golden opportunities. I say them as one who still bears the consequences of choices I made while under its influence. I say them as one who knows that if I were to start drinking, it would be my own choice - not because I can't help it. I say them as one who knows the damage alcohol can do. But alcohol does not define who I am. I do not consume it, and I do not let thoughts of it consume me. It simply has no place in my life any longer, nor has it for twenty years.
I say these things as a free man.
My dad had what I call a drinking problem. His drinking caused many problems in the family. It was nothing compared to what happens in some families; he wasn't violent or abusive and he didn't lose his job or anything, but it certainly caused problems. But, while I was in highschool he got a DWI right after the laws got tougher, and lost his license for a year. Clipped his wings good and proper. And he never had another drink. No meetings, no support groups, nothing. If he struggled against temptation, I never saw it. He just stopped. He later said that he simply didn't want to any more, that he quite literally lost the desire to drink. Losing his license was just the kick in the pants he needed. Gosh, it just occurred to me that it's been about 20 years now. Wow.
I directly benefited from it, because it meant I got to drive the car to school that year, LOL!