You're correct, confrontation is all about communicating your feelings in a respectful way. I guess that was something i never did whilst drinking, it always ended up with me being argumentative.
It was a hard one for me to do, but it was the very first thing i learnt. For me, it's all about facing any issues head on and stare at them in the face, rather than dwelling on them. But you are correct it must be done respectfully but also with assertiveness i feel. And what i've found is that the other person generally respects you for it, and if they don't well that's just something they have to do deal with.
Paul