First of all I would like to say the very fact that you are posing this question is absolutely wonderful. The first step in learning about yourself is to pose a question and then do your research. Applaud yourself for bringing up a subject that so many of us struggle with either directly, indirectly, or both.
A little back ground: I come from a long line of alcoholics. I was born into a family where polishing off a 6 pack of "kool-aid" before dinner was a typical day. My family cannot go to an event without planning ahead for alcohol and will not attend "dry" functions (unless there's a parking lot of course - where the beer is ice cold waiting for them). If we lived in a dry county, my family would probably get arrested for selling moonshine and then end up doing the same thing in jail. They all have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and are considered "obese."
Let me put it ths way, my nickname "Mehi" came from my grandpa who was drunk at the time. He'd say "Mehi-lissa go get me a beer." Then, he'd get so drunk he shortened it to just "Mehi." I've been called that ever since I can remember.
Alcohol has gotten in the way of many functions I wish my family could have attended growing up. Most of the time I was happy they stayed home because they were a bit embarrassing in public. I can remember a few bar fights when I was a child. I also remember sleeping in them and I can tell anyone (to this day) where a bar is in any city in south Texas.
Now that I am older (mid-30's), I realized that I didn't want to be like them. I didn't want my children thinking that it was normal to always have a drink in your hand. I wanted them to know that drinking and driving is absolutely wrong no matter which family member they see do it. Some of my family members think that just because they haven't killed anyone that they aren't doing anything wrong. Since my family doesn't agree with me, it has definitely put a strain on my relationships with them. It has been very difficult to maintain a relationship with many of them, but I don't want to compromise my morals and values just so my children can have a relationship with them. It is a situation where everyone loses in one way or another.
My mother finally saw the light when she had 2 strokes back to back earlier this year. She drank like a fish, smoked like a freight train, and ate what ever she want without realizing the consequences. Now she is temporarily disabled, cannot work until she recovers, living with me, and was forced by her health issues to give up drinking, smoking, and her bad eating habits. It took her almost dying for her to realize the consequences of what she was doing to herself.
This was my question,
Does it really take a close call with death for people (including me) to find balance?
I'm not someone who goes to extremes. I don't want to tell myself that it's all or nothing. I didn't want my mother to get to that point either. However, that is the direction life took her. She had to give it all up because she couldn't find a healthy middle ground.
Can you? Can I?
My mother doesn't drink, stopped smoking cold turkey, works out, and has done her best to eat as healthy as she can. I am so proud of her accomplishments that I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. She used to have her reservations about my life style (of chosing not to drink and wanting to eat healthy), but she has finally come on board to getting as healthy as she can.
What has she learned?
The empty calories in beer and the extra carbs are stored on her body. She told me that it's not worth the extra weight gain and she'd rather wait until cheat day (every Friday). When Friday rolls around, she just doesn't feel like drinking. She said when she tries to work out the next day after drinking that her skin smells and she sweats too much.
What she doesn't realize is that drinking raises your blood pressure, which makes your heart beat harder, which could lead to another stroke or an actual heart attack.
It is so amazing to witness someone who was so set in her ways for several decades finally breaking the family curse. One that I didn't want handed down to me or my chidren.
My advice is to know your limits. Try to find a balance. Reward yourself for good behavior. Talk about your struggles with someone who understands. But most of all, love yourself for your failures as much as your successes. Nobody in the world would know what a success was unless they have tasted failure.
As I tell my son all the time, "It's not about what you did wrong. It's about what you do to make it right."
Best of luck, my apologies for the book!
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Also, if you drink... make sure to not drive please! 
