Congrats on the 17 days sober. It sounds like you've been through a lot recently. I guess the question is, is your past behavior with alcohol likely to happen again? If that answer is yes, then the anxiety you may feel with quitting is surly much less than the anxiety that sent you to the hospital.
The crazy thing about the disease of alcoholism, is it tells us we don't have a disease. Listening to your story, it definitely seems like there are issues with alcohol, the trying to control it, the losing control, the anxiety the next morning - all are things that normal drinkers just don't go through.
The progressive nature of alcoholism is undeniable. So, if you feel that your an alcoholic, it's just not a good idea to drink again. That leaves us in a position of looking for another solution.
I have found that solution in AA. I wish you the best. There is no problem that alcohol can't make worse!