Thanks everyone for the kind regards. I do have to say this past year, although it was filled with hard work to get to where I am it was also one of the best years in probably the past decade that I had. Challenging but rewarding because I found that it's never too late to change. Many of my previously held notions of what addiction is were challenged and many of them torn down. I do not consider my self an alcoholic because I believe that is a self assigned label created by another recovery movement. I do know that alcohol had become a destructive force and a hindrance in my life and needed to be permanately removed and that I had drank so much and so long that my body had become dependent on alcohol and had caused physical damage. I removed the alcohol and now my body is no longer dependent and my body continues to heal. I had substituted alcohol as a temporary means to fill a void of happiness that was lacking in my life. I have developed new goals and interests that now provide a lasting satisfaction of happiness that the alcohol can never provide. And I do consider myself to be in recovery from my destructive behaviors and patterns regarding my alcohol use but I view recovery as a transition period not a lifelong status.