I was not faced with a tragic event or loss ... I looked down the road and could see this was going in a bad direction for my physical and mental health. But I had no job problems, no legal problems, I hardly even had hangovers. My husband thought maybe I was depressed but didn't think I had an alcohol problem.
The funny thing is, the mental processes -- the thoughts that many of us call Addictive voice -- were exactly the same for me as for people who post after quitting from dire consequences (medical detox, jail, family ultimatums, etc). Those same thoughts of, "I could handle it now, just a glass of wine at parties, I'll keep it under control, I'm not really addicted," etc.
So that tells me that addiction starts a long time before the consequences start. It's my opinion that by the time someone starts wondering if they have a drink problem, it's probably too late - they've already crossed that invisible line. And that it's never too early to quit, despite what the addictive voice would have us believe.