I like to remember that there are physiological and pschological dependencies, in this case as has been pointed out a physiological dependency on alcohol would mean having to drink to avoid symptoms of withdrawl, so the body has become accustomed to a certain amount of alcohol being present, this is why suddenly stopping after years of drinking can be dangerous...seizures etc
The pschological dependence, for me, was the simple fact that i clould not cope for extended periods of time without drinking, booze was my DOC to escape reality for a period of time...i kind of compare it to the physiological dependence, when you stop i mean...where a safe detox enviroment would be prudent for the physical side a program of recovery, AA in my case, was necessary for the mental side.
But then again you could say i abused alcohol as a coping mechanism to change my perception of reality and to escape...i'm sure there are definite medical differences between abuse and dependency but that's my take on it:-)