at one time i thought i could do the same with my drugs and my cigarettes. i never could control any of them, they always ended up controling me. also, at one time i started to look forward way too much to having drinks and almost ended up like you, chip, with the booze too. you are just kidding yourself if you think that you can control any type of substance that has an altering affect and a tolerance building affect on the brain and nervous system. you can not control substances that you will need ever increasing doses of to keep up the effect that you desire. lower amounts will only keep you sick and feeling rotten, you will need the higher amounts to get a buzz or feel well (this is due to tolerance which changes the structure and function of your brain). you might as well get on all fours and practice chasing your tail because this is what you will be doing if you continue to use the drug alcohol, which, by the way, effects the same receptors in the brain as benzodiazepines like valium does and has the same nasty withdrawal profile too (seizures).
i quit all my silly drug using and attempted control behaviors (nicotine included) and i am so damn lucky and happy that i did. one is too many and one thousand is never enough.
alcohol causes brain damage and the more and the longer you drink then the more and worse the brain damage.
http://chemcases.com/alcohol/alc-07.htm