Signs of Alcoholism – Your Guide to Recovering from Alcoholism

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If you want to succeed in your battle against alcoholism, you need to have enough knowledge about the warning signs of alcoholism. Once you have become familiar with its early signs and symptoms, you can treat alcohol abuse at an early stage and prevent yourself from the serious consequences of alcohol dependence.

There is nothing wrong with sharing a few glasses of wine over a special meal or drinking some bottles of beer with your friends. However, once you have crossed the line from moderate and social drinking to problem drinking, you may have a hard time figuring out whether you really are an alcoholic or not. Here are some of the most obvious warning signs of alcoholism. 

Drinking more than your body can handle 

Signs of alcoholism also include your desire to drink more than you are actually used to. As your alcohol tolerance continues to increase, your need for alcohol will also increase as you desire to feel the same effects you experienced with relatively smaller amounts of alcohol. 

Finding it hard to stick to one drink 

Do you always promise yourself to drink only one glass of wine or one bottle of beer to relieve the stress and anxiety you are feeling? If you can stick to this promise without much effort, you are probably far from being alcohol-dependent. However, if you always break this promise and sacrifice your responsibilities at work, home or school just to satisfy your craving for alcohol, then you probably have a drinking problem.  

Feeling guilty about drinking 

One of the most common signs of alcoholism includes your feelings about drinking alcohol. If you are constantly nagged by your conscience every time you grab a bottle of vodka, you may be susceptible to alcohol substance abuse. You will feel neither guilty nor ashamed about your drinking if there is absolutely nothing to worry about your changing drinking habits. 

Hiding your drinking habits from your friends and family is usually seen together with this symptom. As your family and friends start worrying about the new drinking routine you have acquired, you will think that it is a necessity to lie about your present drinking habits.  

The “need” to drink 

Another symptom related to alcohol abuse is your incessant “need” to consume alcohol on a regular basis. You start thinking that drinking alcohol is the only means to make you feel better about yourself and to run away from all your problems and troubles in life. This “need” will make you forget about other productive activities that you can do instead of spending your time on alcohol binge drinking. 

Constant periods of “black outs” 

Signs of alcoholism also include periods of “black outs” or instances wherein you instantly forget what you were doing while you were drinking. These black outs are usually associated with the phrase “too drunk to remember.”

Continuous drinking despite relationship problems 

You are already in dire need of a substance abuse treatment if you continue drinking excessive amounts of alcohol despite the problems it causes in your relationships. For example, fighting with your family because they do not approve of your drinking or getting drunk with your friends even though you know your partner will be upset can be a serious sign of alcohol dependence. 

Now that you are aware of the most common signs of alcoholism, it will be easier for you to determine whether you need professional alcohol addiction treatment or not.

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