I don't like the term alcoholic much either but every time I go to an AA meeting that's how I introduce myself. Everybody else there does the same, and their drinking stories are often quite similiar to mine, so if the shoe fits . . .
Outside of an AA meeting I never describe myself as an alcoholic, it's nobody's business. And it really doesn't matter, it's just words and I've probably been called worse. What matters is my behavior, and I know that I can't have just 1 beer. If I do, it's off to the races.