Once I started, I couldn't stop.... this was what happened to me also. If I was out, and had 3-4 drinks and then people wanted to leave and stop drinking I would physically feel sick. I COULD NOT stop once I started. Too bad I started every day, and drank until I fell asleep. Not being able to stop is a hallmark symptom of an alcoholic, and you will find plenty of people in AA who didn't drink every day, but once they started drinking it was off to the races.
AA really was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting bums and losers, and it stopped me from going to the rooms for a long time. My perception couldn't have been further from the truth. People in the rooms have something I have wanted for sooo damn long, and they go out of their way to help me get it, for free. When I say thank you for the help, they say "no, thank you for the help".
There was a guy who was at a meeting a few nights back and he said he told someone he was in AA, and the guy replied "Why are you in AA? You don't even drink..."