HoopNinja, it appears that "the bottom" looks different for every alcoholic, and some never see it until it's too late.
My own AW got drunk and broke her ankle... yet she sees no reason to stop drinking. I find this astonishing, and unbelievable. Just the other day, typical of her OCD behavior, she ordered a year's supply of Vitamin D from some infomercial she saw because Dr. Oz said it might prevent certain kinds of cancer. Yet, she sees no problem with soaking her liver in alcohol every day.
It's absolutely maddening.