[globular-toast]

That's like saying "repeatedly banging your head on the wall is not a problem; it's only a problem if you can't stop at will".

The latest science says no amount of alcohol is good for you. And there's plenty of evidence that any amount of alcohol is bad for you. Of course there is pleasure that comes with imbibing alcoholic drinks, unlike banging your head on the wall, but you are still damaging your body with every sip.

Unfortunately the words "alcoholic" and "addict" are difficult for people to accept and associated with only the worst cases. But I think addiction is far more common than we think.

I used to drink occasionally, maybe once a week, to slight excess which one might call "merry" or "tipsy". I would always sleep badly and feel terrible the next day. I would also eat essentially an extra meal after drinking (usually consisting of junk food). This would happen every single time and I observed that this commonly happened to others too on a regular occurrence. Knowing that these bad effects would ensue, continuing to drink made me an addict: I knew it was bad for me, but I did it anyway.

[kyllo]

Substances affect different people differently. I can have 3-4 drinks in an evening without changing my eating or sleep habits at all and without feeling any different the next day.

Some people experience drinking-related issues other than alcoholism and I just don't want to conflate those issues with alcoholism. I know some actual alcoholics. It's different.