Originally Posted by
MickeyAnMeisce 
It's hilarious (and a bit frightening) how quickly you dismiss cutting-edge medical research for anecdotes and personal experience. Yes, your experience may be that you were able to quit by making a firm promise to yourself to never drink again, but that does not mean that substance dependence does not permanently alter neurochemistry and neuroanatomy in such a way that increases the probability of relapse.
That said, that doesn't mean that you in particular will relapse not does it mean that you aren't responsible for maintaining your own sobriety, but it does mean that dismissing the "addict identity" because it creates a stigma and allegedly promotes relapse is overly simplistic and possibly damaging to long-term sobriety.
There is that stigma bit, but that's not why I dislike the label. Mostly, it is because people project certain characteristics onto "alcoholics," much as you are doing. Backpedaling now and saying "that doesn't mean that you in particular will relapse," does not negate your prior "Evidence?" remark when I said there would be no relapses.
You were, in effect, trying to knock my knees out from under me by trying to convince me that I can't possibly abstain for the rest of my life because my brain is permanently altered. You can keep at it, but I can guarantee you that it won't work. I do have to wonder why you would be inclined to do such a thing, though. Perhaps you want me to drink again?
Just how does telling people that they will relapse, or that they will have a higher probability of relapse, help their long-term sobriety? You don't think that it just might be setting them up for failure? Telling people "you will relapse" does not help them.