Many people drink socially, at holiday gatherings and during business get-togethers, but what happens when social or occasional drinking crosses the line and becomes a daily habit? If you or someone you know took part in occasionally drinking but now drinks on a regular basis in order to cope with life, emotions, and stress, you have moved into dangerous territory. You may be wondering, am I an alcoholic?

Drinking is typically sorted within two categories, problem drinking and alcohol dependence/abuse. If you fall into the problem drinking category, alcohol may be starting to affect your daily life but you haven’t become completely addicted to it. This is not good territory to be in as it is likely you will develop alcohol dependence in the future. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse is a complete dependence on the substance – drinking has become a daily occurrence in your life, your tolerance has built up, and you may begin to feel withdrawal symptoms if you go without drinking for even just a few hours.

Are You an Alcoholic? Signs of Addiction

There are many factors associated with alcoholism and someone having an addiction to alcohol. How someone was raised, their environment, genetics, emotional and mental health and more play a role and can increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent. If someone you know is questioning whether he or she is an alcoholic, the following signs of addiction might help:

• Drinking in order to feel relaxed.
• Hiding or lying about your daily drinking habits to friends, family, coworkers, health professionals, etc.
• Blacking out and not having any memory of what occurred while you were drinking.
• Pushing off responsibilities such as work, child care, hygiene, paying bills, etc.
• Having unstable or trouble in your relationships (work, family, friends, etc.)
• Not being able to stop drinking once you start. For example, you used to have a glass or two of wine but now you finish the entire bottle.
• Experience withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, anxiety, nausea, irritability and more when you haven’t had a drink.
• Feeling guilty about your drinking habits.
• Have family and friends who are questioning your drinking habits and are concerned for you.
• Having trouble quitting drinking on your own.
• Experiencing legal problems because of your drinking
• Increased tolerance to alcohol

Two of the main symptoms of alcohol addiction are one’s tolerance build up to alcohol and the feeling of withdrawal symptoms even after just a few hours without a drink. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and even dangerous if someone has been drinking large quantities of alcohol for a long period of time. 

Many people want to stop drinking but are either ashamed and do not ask for help, feel they can stop on their own (which can be dangerous and even fatal), or they rationalize to themselves their drinking habits are not that severe.

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcoholism and some of the above-mentioned signs of addiction, know that help is available. There are countless rehab and detox facilities, self-help programs, counselors and self-directed treatments that can help. Sobriety and recovery is easier and often times much more successful when you have support and people to lean on. Reach out to New Bedford Drug Treatment Centers to begin your recovery journey. Just give us a call today at (508) 645-6878.