Alcoholism isn’t something that happens overnight, but it is not always easy to recognize when your alcohol consumption crosses the line to turn into a drinking problem. It can often sneak up on you. What starts out as a social activity or casual drinking can slip into moderate consumption and then misuse.
Understanding you have a problem is the first step to getting healthy. Here are signs to recognize:
Lying about how much you drink
Depending on a person’s weight and size, a social drinker will only have one or two alcoholic drinks daily. If you’re having more than that, it can be a concern. It’s not uncommon for people with a drinking problem to start lying about the number of drinks they’ve had during the day. For example, if you’ve already had “a couple of beers,” you may say that the wine with dinner “doesn’t count.” Perhaps you overindulge on the weekends and swear it’s all you’ve had to drink all week. If you start to drink more often and don’t admit to it or feel comfortable lying about it, this is a warning sign of alcoholism.
Hiding alcohol
Maybe you aren’t yet lying about how much you drink, but you try to hide it by sneaking off to drink secretly. Perhaps you’re hiding bottles for easier access when you want or need a drink. Familiar hiding places for alcohol include:
Garages
The back of bathroom cabinets
Top shelves in the kitchen
Under furniture
In closets, suitcases and gym bags
Because people with a drinking problem don’t want to alert others, those empty bottles aren’t always in the recycling or trash bin. If you find yourself hiding the empties or hoarding them and tossing them into garbage bins far from your home, this is a sign of alcoholism.
Loss of control
There are many ways people with alcohol use disorder lose control. The first is due to the chemical reaction. Alcohol is a depressant. This is why you often feel relaxed when you drink. When consuming alcohol, the chemicals in beer, wine or hard liquor target the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. That feeling of relaxation is some of your brain cells turning off. You then become more sluggish and have slower reaction times. Your coordination gets bad, and you stumble or fall. You may even black out. If this is often happening, it’s a sign of alcoholism.
Additionally, if you find that once you start drinking, you must keep going until you are completely intoxicated or pass out, this is another sign of alcoholism. If you need to drink to deal with certain situations or simply get through the day, these are also warning signs.
When you quit without success, this is a hint that you’ve lost control. Many people with a drinking problem promise themselves or loved ones that they will cut back or even stop drinking. When you find you are breaking that promise (sometimes over and over again), it’s a sign of alcoholism.
Decline in health
Alcohol use can lead to:
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
Hangover
Blackouts
Memory loss
A flushed face or red or blotchy skin is also typical. Heavy drinkers may notice they start having tremors or “the shakes” when they haven’t had a drink in a while. When your tolerance increases, the tremors are part of withdrawal and a warning sign of alcoholism. Additionally, health problems increase with excessive alcohol consumption, including cirrhosis of the liver, cancer, cardiovascular disease, gout and high blood pressure.
Impact on relationships or work
Alcohol affects the way you behave. Some people get depressed, others become violent and some act foolish and engage in risky behavior. These actions have an impact on those around you.
When you have a problem with drinking, it’s not uncommon for loved ones to lose patience or get angry or upset with you. If your drinking begins to cause problems between you and your family members, close friends or significant other, it’s a warning sign that alcohol is a concern and you may be an alcoholic.
Overcoming alcoholism
Once you understand the warning signs of alcoholism, they should not be ignored. Seeking treatment sooner rather than later helps you get on track to recovery, better health and the important people and things in your life.
