Kindling was almost certainly what happened to me. I was a ckssic binge drunker from the start. Always drank to drunkenness, never really every single day.
Hangovers evolved from a physical nuisance to full-on, jump out the window panic states. Instead of quitting (unthinkable!!) I started medicating the hangovers. Enter the benzos, opiates, morning drinking. This all added up to a very quick flame-out.
Kindling is certainly frightening. Sometimes I would be biting my pillow at three am following four beers.
In the end, though, it probably saved me. I would certainly have continued to an early grave if the symptoms were not so dramatic.