It really can spiral out of control quickly. For me, the labels don't matter. I have had people tell me recently they don't think I'm "really"an alcoholic. I don't care what they think. I just know that things were getting out of control, and I hated how I was feeling every day. Not just physically, but mentally. I tried to justify my drinking for years - telling myself it "wasn't that bad." And for a long time, it wasn't. But then it was - seemingly suddenly. But looking back, I can clearly see it was a progression. I started like you did, drinking almost every day, but was able to control it fairly well. But then later, I could not control it. If I started drinking on any given day, I could not stop. I was addicted. I wish I had listened to my gut that was telling me I had a problem before it got to that point. You are young - now would be a great time to give not drinking a try - don't be like me and wait until you are 51 to get a handle on it. So much wasted time drinking in my life.