Please know that withdrawals are unpredictable and will not necessarily be the same from person to person.
Talking to your dr is the smartest thing to do in order to withdraw safely.
I'm not sure anyone here has said 'if you can taper, you're not an alcoholic'.
But, I know most people here have strongly cautioned against tapering because most often it does not work, and I think it prolongs withdrawal symptoms. When I tried tapering with great determination (over and over), I ended up in a worse situation.