There are lots of people who drink too much, who drink themselves stupid drunk, who get in trouble while drinking, who create problems for themselves with their drinking. . . .who are NOT alcoholics. Such people can learn to drink responsibly and many do.
But MOST people for whom their drinking has become a problem for themselves and/or others are alcoholics and the only sure way to recover from the worst effects is to stop drinking altogether, forever. Alcoholism is a disease in the sense that the body changes and craves it as does the mind. They may become alcoholic with the first drink (though that is very rare) or may have been able to drink normally and not to excess for many years before unexpectedly crossing an invisible line into alcoholism. The line is different for each alcoholic.
At some point a tolerance starts building up so that they are able to drink more than a normal person without getting stupid drunk or passing out. That phase lasts awhile. And many go through that phase to a point that almost any amount of alcohol visible changes them physically and in their personality. A kind of psychosis sets in that convinces the alocholic that he is not an alcoholic. He (or she) finds any excuse to drink though--a bad job, difficult people, a nagging spouse, rebellious children, money problems, health problems, or the sun came up that morning. If he can't find an excuse he'll make one up and convince himself that it is real.
At this point the alcohlic is not drinking to become high or drunk. He is drinking to feel normal. And the psychosis makes him so manipulative of those around him that those who are trying to cope with him, fix him, cure him, find some miracle that will make it okay, develop their own psychosis that is called in the profession 'co-dependency'.
Some begin drinking first thing in the morning.
Some start mid morning.
Some after lunch.
Some at night.
Some only on weekends.
And some on erratic patterns.
It isn't what an alcoholic drinks or how much or when or where, but how the alcohol affects him/her that makes him an alcoholic.
One in ten people who drink regularly will likely become alcoholics.
It's a terrible disease with a terrible prognosis. But it can be arrested in its tracks and the alcoholic can live a normal, productive, happy life if he is willing to accept help to get off and stay off the sauce. Most cannot do that without help.
