There is a story in the Big Book of AA, I think it is in the chapter More About Alcoholism, about a man who ran into some problems drinking when he was younger. He quit and had a successful business career. Then he retired and out came the carpet slippers and the bottle. It didn't end well.
You are right about there being many differences among alcoholics, nowhere more so than the stories. But it is not the story that defines the alcoholic. It really comes down to control and choice.
If you were to put a bunch of alchies in a room and get them drinking you would observe many diffeent behaviors. Some would become quiet and withdawn, some might fight, others become loud, some sing, you name it. The one thing they all have in common is that they will all reach for another drink.
Did you find at times that you drank more than you intended?