Alcoholism comes in many forms. Not every alcoholic is on the brink of dialysis and unemployed drinking daily. Prolonged periods of abstinence do not preclude someone from alcoholism.

The primary symptom of an alcoholic is an inability to control their drinking, e.g. binge drinking. A typical non alcoholic drinker usually will nurse their drink over a longer period of time, perhaps not even finishing it before it gets warm before going to get another. They will have a set limit on how many drinks (typically 1 or 2) they intend to have and will stick to that limit, possibly not even reaching it. On special occasions such as holidays they may drink more excessively but will do so in a responsible manner and likely will not be bingeing one after the other. They similarly do not drink with the motivation of “feeling it”.