Welcome Kafka - I predict you'll like it here. It's so good to be able to share with people who truly understand what you're going through.
Like Hypo, I knew at a young age I wasn't a normal drinker. It was so much fun in the beginning, I refused to consider changing my ways. I told myself I'd cut down 'some day'. Well, the some day was when I hit my 50's. The 'progressive disease' turned my life into chaos. I'll spare you the war stories, but you are doing the right thing by addressing this now!