For me, for a long, long, long time I spent hours/weeks/months deciding which label fit me.
So alcoholic, heavy drinker, problem drinker, alcohol abuser, binge drinker.
Which one was I?
All the time I pondered this, I kept drinking. Creating more unhappiness for me and the people I loved.
I finally realised that alcohol made me unhappy and the people I loved unhappy.
That was enough me.
I didn't matter what I was, what diagnosis or category I fit into, it mattered that alcohol made me so, so unhappy.
I still sometimes get those thoughts about 'was I?' and I just remind myself of my unhappiness and that makes me see that I don't need to debate it anymore or lend time to thinking about.
I wish you the best xx