This is something I think about often. I know alcoholism is a disease, but my mother is the only other person that I think is an alcoholic. I should say I KNOW she is, but her problem seems so different from mine. She definitely drinks problematically, but her alcoholism has not progressed to the extent that mine did. Alcoholism is alcoholism though. She won't admit it. I look around at family functions and can't find anyone else who seems to have any signs of alcoholic drinking. It is tricky in my Catholic family, where problems are hush hushed and so well hidden. Perhaps they are alcoholics, but are still able to control it at these functions? I know once upon a time I was able to. When I "came out" to my sisters thoguh, one said she thought id seemed a bit drunk at times, and the other hadn't noticed a thing. people in my family don't talk about these things though, so I may never really know.