but the thing is... that psychiatric diagnoses are basically short names that apply to a certain number of behavioral symptoms. so providing a diagnosis is just a short way of describing your behavioral symptoms. so... you drink much more than is good for you / good for others and hey presto you get to have 'alcohol abuse disorder' or 'alcoholism' or whatever... alcoholism is particular controversial (many believe that god somehow implants this disease entity that has yet to be discovered by science that stays with you all your life whether you are ever exposed to alchohol or not whether you ever drink or not). some people benefit from not drinking. ever. some people find it really very very very very hard to not drink. or really very very very very very hard to stop drinking once they have started. i think it is a shame that diagnostic label seems to be what is required for people to feel their distress / difficulty is legitimate or understandable by others or whatever...

given the way society is set up (where drinking too much is considered a medical disorder and where medical disorder gets you special consideration from other people who have been similarly diagnosed etc) getting the label might be what is required. there are many cases where diagnosing causes harm, however... i think it is a shame we do that is all...

> i didn't know what was out of whack with me..just instinctively knew i was different from my friends and family.

well... you knew you drank too much than was good for you and that they didn't. i guess i still fail to see what additional information was provided by a diagnosis...