I guess in my case, it's very obvious that I have a problem, so over the past couple of years it was very clear that I was addicted to alcohol. Leading up to that point, though, I suppose I may have subconsciously convinced myself that I may not have had much of a problem, but as you said, the escalation bit is what really gets you. I guess we don't really have to worry too much about labels, I mean, it doesn't matter what we call it. If you feel that alcohol is having a negative affect on your life, if you don't believe you can control it (if you are completely honest with yourself), then it might be time to look at removing it from the equation completely.
Good luck with whatever you decide. But of course, there must have been a reason you started posting to this site in the first place. Most people who do not have issues with alcohol wouldn't necessarily seek out a forum like this, so that is something else to think about.