Early on I was told by a handful of people that I was not an alcoholic. The people who said that either didn't know how much I actually drank (I used to drink before ever leaving the house), were alcoholics themselves, or just simply drank more than me, and got into more visible trouble than me when drinking. My bottom was on my insides, not as visible to others as fights, arrests, DWIs, and your typical drunken blunders.
Most important thing was that I knew my deal. I really didn't care what others thought or stated regarding my drinking. It ruined my life, and I knew it would continue to do so if I didn't stop and stay stopped. That's all that mattered.