Alcohol for me is a substance, so much matter, a liquid with addictive properties, it's stuff. Alcoholism is another matter completely, that is a behaviour, it is addiction, it is a refusal or inability to accept and learn, and it causes all manner of mess.
For me, beating alcohol means as much as beating the ocean. Beating alcoholism is like beating drowning, and I have done that. I accept I will never drink again, and I have learned that this is within my ability to do so. I am free.