Alcoholic drinking is best described as having "little or no control over the amount you drink each time you drink"
Doesn't mean alcoholics drink everyday, it just means when they do, they end up blind drunk each time. Another characteristic of alcoholic drinkers is they end up blind drunk when they honestly just set out to drink a six pack, just wanted to get a buzz on, but ended up blind drunk and waking up next morning having had a black out to find they drank 18 beers.
Alcoholics will often drink at a pace that is twice that of other drinkers. They don't necessarily drink more than a heavy drinker, but they will drink the same amount in half the time.
That was me. Sometimes I set out to get blind, but mostly I didn't, my body craves more and more booze
I would often get bank statements to trace where I had been and how much money I would have blown.
Problem drinking.... They drink excessive amounts when problems build up and get on top of them but otherwise they drink reasonable amounts when life's good.
Habitual drinker..... established pattern of drinking, often daily but always a pretty regular amount. If they say they will drink 6 -8 beers or a litre of wine, they do. Very in frequently they might drink a little more heavily, but most of the time it's the same amount at a set time of the day.
Heavy drinker, often drinks daily or most days of the week. Drinks to get drunk, but still is capable of saying enough when they really need to. Often mistaken for alcoholic but the difference is they set out to get good and drunk yet still not likely to drink till they pass out. Memory might be a little foggy of events the next day, but they generally won't lose hours or half of the night like an alcoholic.