It's kind of circular reasoning, isn't it? If I say I'm an alcoholic, I am. If I say I'm not, I'm not. It completely depends on how I want to define it. But maybe that's kind of the point. It's a label, and I'm not convinced it matters what you want to call it, the point is your drinking or drugs or gambling or whatever is a problem FOR YOU. Really, what else matters? Maybe that's self-centered but frankly when I was using it really didn't matter to me how many problems it caused for other people. That was their problem, not mine. What made me stop is the problems it caused FOR ME.
One of my friends is in a wheelchair and I asked him if he preferred disabled or handicapped. He said, "Cripple. Call me a cripple. Makes no difference what label you stick on it, I can't walk." That's kinda how I feel about drugs and alcohol.