Just to be extra precise; I’m not trying to imply that there’s anything wrong with customs around how a good friend or polite host serves other people. I’m just railing against the “you’re only an alcoholic if you <behavior unrelated to amount consumed>“ tropes.
I’ve never been to Japan, but I’d heard that “you’re only an alcoholic if you pour your own drinks” is a trope there. The question mark in my original post was to underscore my uncertainty.
(source: I've got family in Japan). It's polite in Japan to serve others and then let someone serve you. Otherwise it's "tejaku" (pooring oneself's drink). In, say, France/Belgium it's different: the one who serves from the bottle serves everybody and ends up serving himself.
Now, obviously, when you're drinking alone there's nobody to serve you...