First, let me say that Lotus has a lot of good wisdom in her post. (Very funny sig, BTW, Lotus).
Second, I should start by saying that I'm the son of a reformed alcoholic and long-term AA member who has helped many-a-person straighten their life out. I've seen cases much worse than anyone in this thread so far seems to be.
To me, the essence of alcoholism is not losing control, having a disease, having a pre-disposition or anything else like that. The essence of the problem is that the logical part of your brain KNOWS what you're doing is destructive, yet you continue drinking to excess despite the damage it causes. In that way, it's the same as any other addiction. Those who are truly not alcoholics but still drink do so in a controlled way that has no negative impact on the rest of their life. I disagree that someone has to know they have a problem to be an alcoholic. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt" as they say.
From what I've seen, the key to controlling alcoholism is to truly realize at the deepest level that you cannot keep doing what you've been doing. You have to come to an epiphany. This happens to each person in a different way. For my dad, it was the threat of divorce and losing his children. For others, it's hitting rock bottom in some other way, perhaps after a severe bender that puts you in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. Some may never truly recover. One person I know shot himself after a bender. They found him dead behind an abandoned store. The really sad part was that he was recovering very well and had a promising future (good fiance, good job, went to church every week, etc).
I hope this helps in some way. I certainly wish you the best of luck dealing with your problem. Let me end by saying that most people will require social support to maintain a state of sobriety, which is why groups like AA are so valuable. Everyone is different, though. Someone with only a mild problem, as you seem to have, may be able to simply decide to stop. During my college days I was headed down the path to alcoholism myself. My epiphany was when my dad waited up for me one night after I had been drinking to the point of puking and passing out. He told me he loved me, walked me to bed and never said another thing. That was more powerful than any lecture he could have come up with and stopped me dead in my tracks. I didn't drink for a year or more after that and, when I did drink again, took it much more carefully. To this day, I feel I truly don't have a problem. I'm sure even my dad would vouch for that.