Stop Drinking

Totally agree as alcoholism really is a self diagnosed issue in its early stages. As you called out, it starts exactly how you describe. You can stop for weeks with no side effects, but once you have that first drink, you are on a fucking mission to make up for lost time. Alcoholism just develops so many different ways for so many different people it can be confusing when trying to define it.

It's not that the drinks per day/week is a bogus metric, it's a logical average trajectory to become physically dependent over time. It may take years, but it's a possibility. Of course, everyone's physiology is different, so there is that.

Since we are talking about physical dependency and/or cravings, it was a slow path for me, but nearly an instant transition when I realized addiction had formed. When I stopped being able to solder wires together because my hands shook so much, that was a big clue. The cravings were not as sharp as nicotine can be, but it was deeper and more driven as a need to ease the late morning shakes. I couldn't physically function without downing a few glasses of wine before lunch.

I went for years with being able to stop for days as a time, until I couldn't. It was almost if I had crossed a very specific threshold, and I was stuck.

TBH, I am super glad you never felt compelled to drink and I would never wish that feeling on anyone. You saw the warning signs of alcoholism way before many do, so be proud of yourself for that.