This is getting really interesting, reading about different sorts of problems with alcohol. At dinner last night one of my guests said she hardly ever drinks because more than one glass of wine makes her feel quite unwell. A couple of contributors above mention stopping drinking because it was affecting their health in varous ways. That would be a very sane and normal thing to do.
OTOH, when the alcoholic is confronted with such issues it normally brings on more drinking, which doesn't make any sense at all. The alcoholic allergic reaction to alcohol involves an overwhelming compulsion to continue drinking once they have taken the fatal first drink. It's pretty much unstoppable. I have lost more than one job when the boss tried to get me to stop drinking and get back to work. Large quantities consumed in out of control drinking will eventually prove fatal, so you would think our alcoholic friend would stop.
But instead he suffers from another problem, a mental obsession, or false belief, that he can once again enjoy the good feelings that came with a few drinks when he first started drinking. He may swear off as I did, but soon the memory of the last disaster fades and is overwritten by the strange obsession. It happened to me so many times, and my onle intention when I took a drink was to realx and have a good time. The stuff that happened after the fatal first drink was the furthest thing from my mind when I started.
The alcoholic is stuck with a mind that leads him to the fatal first drink, and an allergy of the body that will eventually destroy him. To survive he must find a way to stop, and that usually involves a lot more than just not drinking.