Hi there
We all have very different drinking histories, i cannot stress that enough...i sit in the rooms with people that didn't start drinking until their kids were 18 and only drank for 3 years...with people that binge drank every 6-8 weeks with nothing in between...for your own sake don't go there, start comparing your drinking with others...
You don't figure this stuff out then go to AA, that kept me away for ages...i even thought well ill get some dry time behind me first, maybe a month and then go...kind of like getting your doctorate then enrolling in medical school!!!!
I think you are in a great place to go to a meeting and see what you think, keep an open mind and focus on the similarities not the differences...look for the signs of how drinking affected the people, how they felt, their attempts at control...those are the things we have in common...
As for the label, call yourself what you want, a drunk, a lush...thesaurus it and pick a word...problem drinker, alcohol abuser, drinks too much, addicted to alcohol,...as long as your not denying what you have been doing or what you are any word will do...who cares...IMO in AA it is important to introduce oneself as an alcoholic because it shoots straight through the denial and also means you are now sitting in a room full of other alcoholics the same as you...we all suffer/ed from terminal uniqueness thinking we are different to others in this sense and we are not...thats just rationalising the behaviour and ensuring it continues:-)