I've had to go through hospital detox twice because I was trying to quit and my blood pressure and pulse got high enough my heart couldnt take it-- I needed a shitload of IV atavan immediately and then a 5 day librium taper. There are a whole bunch of different definitions of what an alcoholic is, but when I said in my earlier post 'you need to drink every day' i meant you NEED to drink every day. Not, 'oh, i'd live a beer right now' but 'if I dont get some alcohol or a benzo in my system, my heart is going to stop'. When its really not for fun anymore, but just to keep the shakes and anxiety at bay. Thats when you're an alcoholic.