the "a" answer is:
i'm not an alcoholic because i don't go to the meetings.
hehe...I'm a DRUNK, not an alcoholic! ;-)
My mother was a stone alcoholic. She could suck a 16 oz beer for the whole day. Schlitz packaged that in those days- the 50's. None of my schoolmates believed that she had a problem because "she doesn't drink that much".
The drinking finally killed her. She did such a good job of hiding her drinking that her workplace friends didn't think she drank when we were conversing at the funeral home. They argued with me. I had known her all of my life-25 years, and they had known her 3 years.
She held a job all of her adult life, and got excellent grades in her 4 years at the University of Wisconsin---a rare enough treat for a woman born in 1906. She wasted her potential and created a life for us kids that was a nightmare. There are worse stories, I know, but this was MY nightmare. I still shy away from people who drink, even on a casual friend level. I for one am VERY GLAD this guy is off the roads.