I go through spans of a few months where I ramp up to drinking heavily punctuated by years where I don't drink at all. The most difficult part of alcoholism is

I go through spans of a few months where I ramp up to drinking heavily punctuated by years where I don't drink at all. The most difficult part of alcoholism is recognizing when I've become an alcoholic. As soon as I do, I quit. I already recognize that drinking just makes everyone a sloppier, worse version of themselves, so I harbor no illusions that I am doing anyone a disservice denying them an opportunity to test their tolerance of me. I'm also a mostly private drinker. I don't do bars or drinking culture, so there's little social pressure. I also make sure I'm never the only person to have had a drink. It's not a secret, just nothing to celebrate. I've been on a dry spell for the past two years, and, as always, I don't miss it. I'll probably go another five years before I have more than a beer in a week, largely because my SO and I have a poor dynamic when alcohol is involved. We still keep alcohol around- we just end up cooking with it, instead. My high level advice is to spend enough time not drinking that you really appreciate your health and clarity when you're sober. You're not alive for long, and alcohol really doesn't add anything of value to it.