Hi Winters,
A trap I fell often into was thinking once I had one beer then I'd failed for the day and I might as well have more. That's probably partly why there is often a strong focus on avoiding the first. It sounds though that you recognise things are better when you abstain. You don't need to work out a label (alcoholic, problem drinker, etc) to embrace abstinence - you just need to recognise that life is better in the absence of alcohol.