As an alcoholic, I can say with complete certainty. That some one who drinks everyday to “de-stress” IS one or very much is in danger of becoming an alcoholic if it goes on long enough. Second, specifically mentioning “it’s not the alcohol” is usually a huge red flag, it means they’re worried they may actually have a problem and are over compensating.

I get that you are trying to be helpful here and that’s a good thing, but I suspect you try too much to fit what OP is saying into the mould of your own experiences. And again, you assume too much and to boot, you assume that OP is lying, which means suddenly anything could be true or false.

some one who drinks everyday

OP does not drink every day.

Second, specifically mentioning “it’s not the alcohol” is usually a huge red flag, it means they’re worried they may actually have a problem and are over compensating.

Or it could actually be true. People simply use alcohol in this way because it works. It might end in a destructive pattern of abuse or it might not, but actual alcohol problems come with a lot of other symptoms and patterns, none of which are on display here.