Signs You Might Have a Problem with Alcohol
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 15, 2019
- 3 min read
Check Yourself
Are you wondering whether your drinking is on the high side of normal or if it's crossed the line into a problem? Think back on the past year. If any of the following scenarios seem familiar, it might be time to make some changes.
You Drink More Than Planned
You may drink more than you have planned for or for longer period. This describes hat you can not control yourself which is a big warning.
You Spend a Lot of Time on Drinking
We're not talking about just the time with a glass (or can, or bottle) in your hand. There's also getting the alcohol, feeling sick after you drink, and recovering from the effects later. Keep track of all your activities in a daily diary or schedule planner for a few weeks, and take an honest look at how it adds up.
Your Tolerance Has Gone Up
It means you need to drink much more than before in order to have the buzz you want. Your brain adapts to alcohol over time and can become less sensitive to its effects.
You Crave Alcohol
A strong need or urge can be triggered by people, places, things, or times of day that remind you of drinking. Certain emotions or physical sensations can also trigger a craving. When you have a drinking problem, your brain reacts to these triggers differently than a social drinker's does.
You Give Up Other Activities
Think about the activities you used to enjoy, the issues that were important to you, and the ways you used to spend your free time. Think twice if alcohol prevents you from doing your hobbies and activities.
You're Dropping the Ball on Life
Being sick from drinking can prevents you from doing your responsibilties at home, work or even school which is a big problem.
It Causes Friction in Relationships
You may care about certain person and you love your family but drinking makes always problems bigger and worse. This doesn't make you a bad person, but it does make it more urgent that you look for help to change your habits and get your relationships back on track.
You Have Withdrawal
You may have trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, or sweating. Alcohol changes your brain chemistry, and when you drink heavily over a long period of time, your brain tries to adapt. If you suddenly stop drinking, your brain has to adjust again, causing these withdrawal symptoms.
You Could've Been Hurt
While you're drunk, your brain doesn't grasp the short-term and big-picture results that could come from poor decisions and getting into risky situations like driving, swimming, fighting, having unsafe sex, or walking in a dangerous area. Even if nothing bad has happened yet this is a warning sign.
Drinking Is Making You Sick
Alcohol can damage your liver, heart, brain, pancreas, and immune system. And it can raise your odds of getting certain cancers. Although you realize it's harming you, a physical or emotional dependence on alcohol can make quitting hard.
You've Gotten Into Legal Trouble
If you've been arrested or had other run-ins with the law more than once because of your alcohol use, it's getting serious. You might be dealing with the fallout from this for years. But it's not too late to do something about it.
You Want to Stop but Can't
Alcohol masks unhappy emotions, so those feelings may come back when you quit drinking, making it harder to stick to your goal. If you try to abstain, but then obsess over alcohol or switch to another drug or behavior, that's a red flag.
What to Do
Any of these things could signal an alcohol problem. Don't feel bad, but do consider cutting back on drinking or quitting altogether. Talk to your doctor, a therapist, or a counselor. The more things you said "yes" to, the more important it is that you take action or seek help from a health professional.
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