The definition most likely being pushed on you at meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous is the one we work with out of the book with the same name. The book came before the fellowship did. The foreword talks about the book being about how many of men and women have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. "To show other alcoholics [I]precisely how we have recovered[I] is the main purpose of this book." It is found on page xiii. When people are referring to the "real" alcoholic or "real" addict the definition being used is from page 21. Has nothing to do with quantity or how many DUI's or how many times you peed your pants. It only talks about choice and control. Do you have the phenomena of craving once you ingest alcohol...the physical allergy that William D. Silkworth wrote about back in 1934 or so...that still holds true today? Then the power of choice in drink??? Can you stop and stay stopped on your own power? OR do you have that internal unmanageability, that spiritual malady that sets off that mental obsession that convinces our mind that a little drink will be dandy, then setting off the physical allergy. If you can choose everytime not to drink, then your not alcoholic by definition in AA, and if that be the case then you really don't need to be at those meetings and working those steps. AA is not therapy or process group or anything like that. Your in Austin I take it??? Great group I know of over there that has the message of AA in all it's purity...it's the Carry This Message group. If you are really concerned about being qualified or not or just need some good info that is where I would go or send you rather. 7517 Cameron Rd. Monday's @ 6:00 p.m. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.