Am I the only one?

I don't think I am the only one with this kind of problem. I would hate to say that I was an alcoholic as that has such far reaching implications. The recommended number of units for a man is 21 and I wasn't far off that. Generally, I would drink a couple of large glasses of wine a night. Every night. 3 or 4 on a Friday or Saturday night. So this is close to the recommended maximum. I have never woken up in the morning and thought 'God, I need a drink'. Sometimes I really feel like a beer but I think it is because I am dehydrated and really need a big glass of water.

I remember when I was a kid My parents used to come home after a day at work and, in a stressed flourish, head to the drinks cabinet (yes we had one dedicated to alcohol) rustling up a gin & tonic. This would happen every day.

I started going out and drinking when I was 14 or 15. I was quite tall and the shops were really lax about i.d. so we used to buy beers there. I remember that I liked dry martini because it was so cheap. I used to go the pub at 15 and to nightclubs in town. My parents knew this but didn't seem to mind. Drinking was a wholly accepted part of my growing up. When I went out with friends I would get drunk and so would they. Drugs were never a part of my life and I was always a little afraid to try them for fear of becoming addicted. Booze was the answer. I never drank during the week but at the weekend, at parties and down the pub, we would go crazy. The minimum age was 18 but we always got served at the local. When I was 14 I went to a nightclub in my home town on New Years Eve with my sister and girlfriend. I dressed up as some ghoul or something and actually won a years membership. after that I could just go to the nightclub every Saturday night.

What I meant to write by this, was when does booze become a problem? Is there a line? I think I have an addictive personality. I have spent a portion of my life giving up things that I have been addicted to. Fruit machines, smoking, computer games and in some way, booze! Sometimes I have a hard time focusing on the present, real life just because it is giving me a hard time. Booze gave me the perfect opportunity to procrastinate.