Some people are telling you that you don't have much of a problem. The fact you posted this means that for you, it feels like you're losing a little control and

Some people are telling you that you don't have much of a problem. The fact you posted this means that for you, it feels like you're losing a little control and want some feedback. I've known a few alcoholics - the type that needed in-patient treatment and counselling to get to a point where they were no longer out of control - and it doesn't sound like you're there. It does sound to me though like you're drinking more than is making you comfortable and you're not quite sure how to take a hold, and that can cause a spiral effect. I'm a heavy drinker, and sometimes I worry about this too, principally for long-term health reasons more than say, because I think I have become dependent on alcohol. Can you imagine going for the next year without any alcohol at all? I'm not sure I can. And for me, a lot of that is social: I'd miss out on a lot of friendships established through drinking. However, the question for me is whether you have conscious control over the cue/reward part of the habit. Habits are very simple: you get a cue ("I want a drink"), supported by an underlying belief system ("Drinking makes me relaxed and I want to be relaxed right now"), that you respond to instinctively ("I'll have a drink"), in order to get the reward ("I'm now relaxed"). Changing a habit only requires conscious effort in the response part of that step. When you feel the urge, think it through, don't go for the instinct. It helps if you spend some time to try and address the underlying belief system to consciously fall back on. You've started that: not drinking helps you feel better and run better. Next time you want a drink remind yourself "I don't want to drink because I want to feel better and run better tomorrow and next week". Those who know me (and many people who work with me know my HN account name), will be surprised I'm giving this advice: I helped found a whisky club in the office, and on Thursday helped demolish a bottle of Johnnie Walker with a couple of colleagues whilst at our desks. I sometimes stray from the response system, and sometimes I let the belief system get warped, but I know it's there, and I know how to use it, and I hope it works for you. I've used this method to give up smoking, and to reduce the amount of shitty food I've been eating. I've not tried it for alcohol, but perhaps I might now.