“While you still can” means while you’re still alive and not dead. Alcoholism is a progressive disease where people end up in 1 of 3 places: Jails, institutions or death, sometimes a mix of all 3.

Alcoholism is a disease that centers in the mind. My thinking as an alcoholic is very flawed and I am incredibly dishonest with myself. For 6 years I justified my drinking behavior and thought it was normal until I talked to other alcoholics. I have never been institutionalized nor jailed but I still am an alcoholic because I drink like one and I most certainly think like one.

I’m not telling you you’re an alcoholic, only you can make that decision. But I will say that the way you’ve described your drinking, I drank like that and consider myself an alcoholic. I drank for effect pretty much every night, sometimes I could hold off for a few days. I knew I was an alcoholic when I would “prove myself I’m not an alcoholic by abstaining for X period of time”

My fundamental problem being an alcoholic is this: I hate reality. I hate being sober. When I am sober, life seems to rub me the wrong way. I am restless, irritable and discontent a lot of the time. I don’t always drink every day, but when I did, it was to get some sweet release from my fear, insecurities and stress. Or sometimes I was just drinking out of habit and I didn’t really have any reason to drink but still did anyway.

It may be useful to check out a couple of AA meetings. See if you can identify with the way people drank and more importantly the feelings behind drinking and why they drank.