No one wants to admit they are an alcoholic. Many people aren’t aware they have a problem until their lives fall apart. If you’re worried about whether or not your drinking has become a problem, there are some warning signs to look for.
1. Hiding Your Drinking
Summary
Alcoholics tend to hide how much they are drinking. You may end up stopping at the bar before coming from work so your family doesn’t know how much you drank. You may stop at the liquor store and drink in the car before coming home. Alcoholics also hide their empty, or partially full, bottles at home. This is common behavior for someone who is ashamed of their actions or wants to avoid an argument. People who don’t have a problem with alcohol have no need to hide their drinking.
2. Black Outs
Alcoholics drink to the point of forgetting their actions on a regular basis. When you drink excessively, you forget your actions and any events that occurred. If you’re blacking out regularly you are drinking way too much.
3. Can’t Stop Once You Start
Most people can have one or two drinks and stop. Alcoholics have trouble stopping once they start drinking. This leads to drinking to excess, blacking out, drinking and driving, and other unacceptable behaviors.
4. Neglecting Responsibilities
Drinking to excess causes people to feel ill the next day. If you regularly drink a lot, chances are you’re not going to feel well most days. This causes people to call out of work and eventually lose their jobs.
Alcoholics need to drink just to feel normal. If you show up at work after drinking, this can cause you to get fired.
5. Relationship Problems
Alcoholics tend to act differently than they usually do when they’re sober. Loved ones don’t want to deal with the issues that come up when you drink. Fights get started for no reason. Children get neglected. This causes problems with relationships.
6. Developing Tolerance
Alcoholics drink more than other people. Over time, you need greater amounts of alcohol to achieve the same effect as before. This builds a tolerance which can lead to many health problems.
7. Withdrawal Symptoms
A sure sign of alcoholism is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal occurs when the body becomes accustomed to alcohol. Your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol to function normally. Instead of feeling sick because you had too much to drink, you feel sick because you didn’t drink enough. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include
- Shaky hands
- Sweating
- Anxiety
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia and
- Headaches
Alcohol withdrawal is very serious and you should detox under the supervision of a medical professional.
8. Tried to Quit and Failed
If you have promised yourself, or loved ones, that you are going to quit drinking, tried to, and failed you are probably an alcoholic. Most alcoholics need help to quit drinking. They can’t do it on their own.
Alcoholism is a common problem people face. If you’re experiencing any of these warning signs, call your medical professional for the best place to detox, and get the help you need.