Wine connoisseur or alcoholic

Recently I have been (thoroughly) enjoying a good glass of wine with dinner or afterwards! I have been selecting different brands, in different price ranges and seeing what I really like to enjoy! Let's call it a hobby! Lol!

But the other night when I snuggled up on the couch, after the kids were all in bed, I had my glass of Moscato and Tricky Business on the tv, only to have hubby turn to me a say
"What? You're drinking again? You're turning into an alcoholic!"
I was shocked by the statement only to reply with
"I like to think of myself as more of a wine connoisseur!"
With a shake of the head he turns back to his work! But this made me think, what is an alcoholic? Is it someone who drinks a lot? Or is it someone who becomes a different, usually bad, person after too much to drink. I had an uncle who would get home from work an sit in his garage and drink while he pottered about listening to talkback radio, now he only went out there because his wife and teenage boys didn't want to listen to his radio, so to occupy his time he would drink. Is he an alcoholic? Or is this a relaxation technique? An escape from his life? In the long run his drinking became more often and larger amounts - would this then be the time where he would be classified as an alcoholic?

It's a grey area that most people don't think about. Drinking becomes an addiction, an illness, something that cannot be turned a blind eye to. It is serious and harms or kills people, ruins lives and marriages and relationships. Usually stemming from an issue that has sent them to search for an escape, a way to make their life a better place. Now I am not running into another realm when I drink, but I do enjoy a glass to help me 'unwind' or 'relax' are these excuses? Are these a cop out that people use so they can continue to do the one thing that they probably shouldn't! Who knows ... I'm no expert but when you need a substance to make you feel better or more relaxed maybe we need to start looking at our lifestyles instead of turning to a bottle?

Thanks ... MCM xxx