Alcoholics have drinking related problems with school, family and friends, their job, their health and even with the law. One of the symptoms is an uncontrollable desire to drink.
Alcoholism is a progressive disease.
The only method for arresting alcoholism is total abstinence. It is also a lifetime disease. Most authorities agree that even after years of sobriety, alcoholics can never again control their drinking once they start. Alcoholics become physically and emotionally dependent on the drug. They feel sick and unable to function without it.