Originally Posted by ScottFromWI

Welcome Jak. My honest opinion would be that it really doesn't matter if your dependence on alcohol is mental or physical, it's dependence. And it's bad. Even 9 drinks at a setting is a very extreme amount of alcohol to be drinking and if you are doing that every day ( and possibly more at times ) the chances of you causing permanent physical damage to your body are very, very high. It's definitely not sustainable.

Another thing you may want to consider is that if you've only "cut back" to 9 drinks a day you wouldn't know if you were physically dependent until you quit completely. And I'd caution against quitting cold turkey, especially at the rather extreme levels you are drinking now as withdrawals can potentially be dangerous. I'd speak with a doctor or a treatment center about it before quitting.

I'm glad you've come here and you recognize the problem, and I hope you can make the best decision for your health and future. You'll find a lot of support and understanding here.