Originally Posted by
JasminJ 
You might realise you are consuming too much, but we all know its not possible to quit before you are really committed.
This is often repeated, but it is simply not true. It is just the addiction talking, kicking the can down the road. If it can't prevent you from quitting, it will try to delay quitting for as long as possible.
"Don't quit drinking, not just yet, maybe if things get really bad" it whispers, "and you're not as bad as that drunk driver," it adds, right?
Originally Posted by
JasminJ When does 'normal' consumption become abuse/addiction?
If you can't picture life without alcohol, then you are dependent on it, which is not necessarily bad per se, if it does not negatively interfere with life.
If you drink against your own better judgement, however, at times when you know, or suspect, that you should not be drinking, then you are probably addicted. The same is true if you keep drinking in spite of negative consequences, or if you keep looking for ways to keep drinking without getting into more trouble.
Dependence may cause big problems eventually, but addiction certainly will cause big problems. It is just a matter of when, not if.