What’s it like to be a moderate to severe alcoholic?

You start being unable to eat .. stomach pain, diarrhea that hits unexpectedly no matter where you are.  You get the shakes. You become weak as you slowly start to suffer from malnutrition and become skinnier and skinnier as your muscles shrivel.

You faint in the grocery store, even when sober, and an ambulance is called and they take you to the hospital to treat you for dehydration and malnutrition .. and you get a nice big ambulance and hospital bill later on.

You get hot and cold flashes. You start being unable to remember things clearly or to communicate coherently.  You cannot control your emotions nor your attention, and you become dangerous behind the wheel of the car .. and you drive all those who love you away.

You become unemployable.  You may become homeless.

The emotions you got drunk to escape start coming anyway and slamming you on the head with them.

And NOT just when you are drunk.

In the end, you keep chasing for that "high", but it eludes you.  You become miserable when drunk, miserable when drying out, and miserable when sober.  You are trapped.

I have watched more than one relative slowly and painfully drink themselves to death. It is a horrible way to go, and it gets worse and worse and worse over time.

Even worse, those who are near and dear usually abandon you after a while, so you struggle with decline all on your own.

Sure. Add some milk to club soda and a couple of tablespoons of chocolate syrup-And you have an Egg Cream. 

I'm a mild alcoholic/binge drinker.  I only drink heavily once a week.

I imagined moderate to be what I once became like, I would want to drink almost everyday and the stress I was under would dissipate and generally I'd enjoy drinking and being with people, but sometimes misery would set in whilst I was drunk and I'd be unpleasant.  

I was still young and physically active, but I put on weight and started to look ragged.