When I drank I was constantly ashamed, but when I decided to quit I was ashamed, too!
Ashamed mostly because I should have "been able to handle it" better. In retrospect I was a fool. I agree, the label is meaningless to the goal of living life in a deeper, more meaningful way. Was I an alcoholic? I dunno, maybe maybe not. But by every meaningful standard my life got better when I quit drinking. That's the important thing not the label.