I also do not see how you can be an alcoholic if this is a practice that dates back 2 decades without any worsening or escalation, and, since you have never been drunk (!!!). I think he is plain wrong attaching the label of alcoholism based solely on the number of drinks per day. I also think that you are not having withdrawals precisely because you weren't an alcoholic to begin with.

That said, it is good that you quit and that you got so easily and painlessly adjusted to being a non-drinker. There was an article in the New York Time several days ago: red wine is not good for your heart. Read the article if you are a subscriber: Is Red Wine Actually Good for You? How the Drink Affects Heart Health - The New York Times

"Today, more and more research shows that even one drink per day can increase your chances of developing conditions like high blood pressure and an irregular heart rhythm, both of which can lead to stroke, heart failure or other health consequences, she said.

And alcohol’s links to cancer are clear — something the World Health Organization has been stating since 1988.

That’s a very different message from the one patients might have heard from their doctors for years, Dr. Cho acknowledged. But the consensus has shifted.

No amount of alcohol is safe, the W.H.O. and other health agencies have said, regardless of whether you’re drinking wine, beer or liquor."

...

"And for most people, it’s fine to enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, Dr. Cho said."

***

Like you, I have never been drunk in my life. Unlike you, I never consumed so many glasses per day. But I used to try to drink 1 glass of wine per day believing it would be health-protective. The thing is, I did not particularly enjoy it and it felt like a chore. Then last year my internist, during the annual physical, told me that there is no evidence that it is good for you; she explained that, simply put, many healthy people tend to drink wine with dinner so there is correlation but not causation. No causation whatsoever. So she said "drink wine if you enjoy it". I stopped drinking at home and since I like cocktails and do not particularly like wine, I now drink a cocktail if I am out celebrating with someone, which is rare, but when I do, I really enjoy it. I will drink wine if I am in a good company still, but I no longer buy it and no longer drink it "for health". I know better now.