Originally Posted by
jazzfish 
He is. Here is another quote from the same article:
People are inclined to say, "there is something peculiar about alcoholics. They seem to be well, yet at any moment they may turn back to their old ways. You can never be sure."
This is largely twaddle.
I am not sure if that is true in my experience, I tend to agree with the good doctor. If someone says,' Pssst - he's an alcoholic, you know', most will consider that person to be untrustworthy, dishonest, unreliable. At the least, they will not be surprised to see those behaviours. And a return to drinking? Well, THAT'S almost a guarantee, after all, it's one day at a time for those people.
That's a good reason to refuse that label. Am I an alcoholic? Not on your life, and definitely not on mine.