Mets,
I've found that talking about my drinking with carefully selected people has helped to dissipate the feelings of shame. Although I was very reluctant to go to AA, it helped a great deal to have other alcoholics to connect with, especially in early sobriety when I didn't feel strong enough to be around others who drink.
Another thing that affected my attitude about potential future "moderation" is the progressive nature of alcoholism. I stopped several times for a number of years (over 10 years) and stopping then was relatively easy. This last time was incredibly hard. It took an enormous effort and lots of help. I've also recently experienced here the death of several due to their alcoholism. So I see this as an incredibly serious thing.