My name is Jimbo and I'm sort of an alcoholic
How does one know the difference between being someone who drinks too much (a "problem-drinker") and being a full-blown alcoholic? Is it simply a subjective choice or is there an objective demarcation? I had it suggested to me more than once in an AA meeting that I was on such a low-end of the spectrum that I barely qualified as an alcoholic, whatever that means. I don't think this primarily had to do with the amount that I was drinking but rather with the fact that I was still extremely high-functioning. I was going to meetings that were a bit hard-core, with some decidedly Bukowski-like characters in attendance, but nonetheless I felt like (and still feel like) that my drinking is definitely beyond the "normal" amount. Not sure if these were just cases of assholes venting about their own lives or if these were a real indication that maybe I don't fit into the "alcoholic" category. Has anyone else struggled with this?
By the way, this site is always such a great help. Thank you all for your contributions. I haven't posted anything on here for years, but I've regularly returned to this site in that time and it has been a real inspiration for healthier choices in my life.