Wine was my drink of choice too and one glass inevitably became one (large) bottle. At that point, you are an alcoholic, without a doubt. When I felt too ashamed and disgusted with myself, I took a few days off. I could do this and not experience any withdrawal symptoms other than perhaps the very palpable desire to keep drinking. I really had two lives, one was a miserable drunken one and the other was a high-performing, high-wire act. With work I could somehow manage to pull it together, home alone I was a mess.

Madisgram has posted somewhere a link in which are described the wide spectrum of alcoholics. Many of them like myself are highly-functioning, "normal" in many ways. In a way, it's harder to see yourself as an alcoholic is you fall into this category. And I might still be "out there" today if I hadn't done X and started a sequence of events which led me to the single conclusion that I needed help with my addiction.

I was beyond shame, so actually putting myself through rehab and going to AA meetings was not the source of as much angst as I read about here on this forum. In a way, I was curious and eager to see what had "happened" to the Old Me and I saw recovery and abstinence as a way to rediscover myself. To that end, I have maintained a very pragmatic approach to all this. I have this problem, X. Now what are the solutions for X?

There are definite solutions for alcoholism and you don't necessarily need rehab. I personally would start by going to your doctor and asking for some anti-craving meds. There are resources on this site which detail many of them. I would also recommend going to AA meetings, as the support there can often be very helpful. I don't think I've ever been to a "bad" meeting. For me, hearing the recovery stories of drunks who were 100 times worse than I ever is worth the dollar I toss in the basket at the end of the meeting and the slight social anxiety I experience because I no longer have a drink in my hand.
Drinking is such a sly, seductive habit, which can easily get out of hand so please while you recognize that you have a problem and are physically and mentally able to help yourself, do so and nip it in the bud by taking a few simple steps. They are a small price to pay to get your life back but everyone in your life-and most importantly, you-will thank you.