Substances are addictive, and certain people are triggered more than others by their chemical engagement. We readily admit that heroin and its derivatives are super addictive. They latch on to physical structures in the brain and body. Still, despite their destructiveness, it took years for the government to stop the recent opium crisis. The medical establishment and government know factually that some people have the same issue with alcohol (as the do with nicotine, caffeine). The point is we have to stop treating it like a problem of personal choice and make a person feel bad for this addiction. There are medical solutions like naltrexone that one commenter mentioned. But AMA won’t label it as a physical addiction and disease, like they recently did in Finland. Getting alcoholics to self-counsel through AA, when they are not trained counselors and it’s a medical issue for doctors at any rate, is wrong. The booze industry is too profitable and strong and the culture of drinking too deep in human history and glamorous I’m afraid to change what has to be changed. Thank you for your moving story.