Originally Posted by
gneiss 
Doesn't everyone lose control of how much they drink at some point? Even the most responsible drinkers I know, when given enough alcohol, will just keep drinking. Until I read that definition I would never have classified them as alcoholics. They are just people who drink a normal amount and maybe once or twice in their lives misjudged how much they could consume on a given night. So I guess every person I have ever met is a raging alkie. Wow.
The answer is no. Give anyone enough to drink and they will probably do something stupid. Doing stupid stuff and getting DUI's doesn't define alcoholism.
The difference between myself and my non-alcoholic sister:
I start drinking, I feel it, I want more. It is a phenomenon beyond my mental control. I have no idea how much I will drink, what I will do, who I will do it with, where I will end up, or how long I will drink. I don't drink until I'm done, I drink until it's done. If you can't identify with that, you're not alcoholic.
My sister on the other hand, has a few drinks and says "I'm starting to feel it," and leaves it at that. Sometimes she even leaves a half-full drink.