For me I believe its both. If I weren't an alcoholic, I'd be able to quit once I started to see that I was behaving like a child and hurting others. But, even though I could see these things, I couldn't stop. So, its a big deal because my sick ole brain wants to drink even in the face of awful consequences. I'm not a bad person, I'm a sick person.
But I completely relate to your post. And sometimes I have to say to myself 'hey, you can't do this. You're not like other people. Grow the he!! up'. Sometimes, for me, it does boil down to that.