Interesting post.
I personally believe that there are four grades of people when it comes to alcohol. Teetotallers, People Who Drink, Drinkers and Alcoholics.
The first one is self explanatory. The second... people who have alcohol in social situations and sometimes as home, but it's not a big thing in their life. It's just something they do to get a little buzz on.
The difference between Drinkers and Alcoholics is a tough one. Drinkers consume alcohol on a regular basis, possibly most nights. They automatically associate 'good times' with alcohol and act accordingly.
As for Alcoholics... those are the people who truly cannot do without it and suffer accordingly.
I'm a Drinker. It's a rare night when I don't consume some alcohol. Yes, some nights I get hammered. But it might be something as little as a glass of brandy before bedtime or a couple of cans whilst watching a movie. And when I don't drink... I have no symptoms, no shakes or sweats the next morning. God knows, I've seen those people. The worst I get is some sleeplessness if I haven't had a drink. And as someone who had a heart attack a year ago, I get regular checks and my liver and urine results are just fine.
But I do occasionally worry that I might, one day, tip into the fourth category that I mentioned. No big sign of it yet. But I don't have much self-control...
I admire you, Adrian, for your 15 years sober. That is some serious self-will, especially in this 'drinking culture'. I don't hate myself for drinking - heck, I still really enjoy it! - but if shit goes south for me and I find myself in a place where the drink takes over, I hope I've have your courage and guts to knock it on the head.
And, as Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush once said, Don't Give Up. You've done an immense thing. Be proud, pal.
