Originally Posted by
closetdrinker 
I went to a counseler, paid for by my professional association. They said I'm not an alcoholic, but a binge drinker on the way to alcoholisim. I may be an alcholic albeit fully functional at present.
I know about AA, went there in my teen years and quit for 20 years. Fearfull of going there now. I am an elected official. I am very visible.
I'd be happy to take antibuse or any pill as this sucks. You know that. My health is fine, but my doctor thinks counseling is all encompassing. As I said, fearfull of going there.
So just a little rant, what is this whole binge drinker but not an alcoholic thing? I guess your counselor has some credentials, but why make this distinction? Is it supposed to change your approach to the problem? And what are the bases for these terms anyway? The only official terms I'm familiar with in the US are alcohol abuse v. alcohol dependence. I just worry that sometimes people get told stuff like this and feel like their problem is not that big of a deal. It doesn't sound like that's you, though, so good.
As for the other stuff, I'm pretty new to not drinking, so I'm not an expert. It seems like lots of folks here don't attend meetings and do well. Also, there are anonymous online sources for meetings where you wouldn't have to worry about your reputation. I guess none of us likely know if attending AA locally would harm your career. But yeah, as pointed out above, having a future problem due to your drinking would be worse for your career. So if you research/try other options, and feel like you really need AA, you should probably go to those meetings.
About medications, it wouldn't be wrong to talk to another doctor, perhaps someone with lots of experience with addiction, about them. A psychiatrist would probably be your best bet for that.