For the most part, it gets easier. I never got laughed at when I first told family or friends that I was an alcoholic (instead I got, "Well, DUH! You're just now figuring that out?!"), but it sounds like you already know what you should (and shouldn't have) done. Just use it as a lesson to learn from and move on. You'll get it. I had to relapse half a dozen times before it clicked with me, but as long as you don't give up, you're still making progress.
--Fenris.