Shelley,
you're in good company here. There are a fair amount of us alcy's here. I was a beeraholic myself -ever since I had an alcoholic form of hepatitus back in the 70's and the docs told me I "...could drink or I could live" (I blamed it on hard liquor and switched to beer - after a tough, white knuckle year of healing passed). Normies can have their glass of wine a night -we can get by very nicely (with the same benefit) with a glass of grape juice. After you've been around the program for a while you can be around people who drink without the temptation. I am a musician and play in bars a lot. I don't miss alcohol anymore. Remember that most normies are clueless about the disease of alcoholism.

Self medicating and not taking prescribed medications and/or having seizures (I have seen many alcoholics in detox having seizures) could be signs of problem drinking (only you know for sure).

It would make me a little more nervous that the oral surgeon is going to biopsy something that he can't visualize. Stage I and II cancers typically don't have lymph node involvement. Mine was stage III/IV and I had no lymph node involvement (although this is not typical) so his knowledge on oral cancer makes me even more nervous. Can you get insurance thru Anheiser Busch and go to an ENT or head surgeon?

Don't freak out too much about the time delay. Almost two months passed from my initial Dx to when treatment started and they expedited all of the scans and tests that I needed.