Hi Ashley,
Thank you for your warm welcome. I have been taking a look around the website, and using some of your tools (which are very informative), and while I don't think I'm alcohol dependent, I do think my relationship with alcohol can be problematic at times. I often feel in a crisis of conscience, where I work with people going through addiction treatment, and feel I could be my own patient.
This week I have taken some of the challenges for moderation from the website, and I have been successful! For instance, last night I went out for drinks with friends, and only had 2 glasses of wine. Mind you, they were 12$ each and on my student budget I couldn't afford to have more, but the main thing that I felt was when we left. I felt really proud! I went home, took a hot bath, read a bit, and went to bed. I was able to limit myself! Also, only twice this week did I have any alcohol at all, last night being one of them, and Wednesday being another for a friend's birthday. Again, I only had 2 glasses of wine! and this time we were at home! I felt really proud this week, and got some questions that I was asking of myself answered. I will be trying my hardest to continue with moderation, and see how that goes.
I haven't really thought about your question before though - what would I tell a friend in a similar situation. I do have a friend that has problem drinking; we've talked about it on numerous occasions. The difference is the denial - she will flat out lie about how much she drinks or being intoxicated, even when it's very clear (slurred speech, impulsive behavior, etc.). But if a friend in my situation exactly would ask for advice, I would probably tell them to try monitoring their habits, learning about moderation, and if they really need help because they can't stop, to seek it, and that I would help them find it.
Anyways, thanks again for your site! I will be using it regularly to help keep on track with moderation. Here's hoping!