Am I An Alcoholic? Seven Signs You Might Have A Drinking Problem
The term “alcoholic” has such a negative stigma within our society, that many people are afraid to admit they might have a drinking problem. This is why addiction is referred to as the disease of denial, as a large number of people struggling, refuse to take an honest look at their relationship with alcohol.
When I was still drinking, I didn’t identify with what I thought an alcoholic was supposed to look like. In my mind, an alcoholic was someone who was most likely homeless, drinking round the clock and buying cheap spirits in a brown paper bag. Because I didn’t identify with this stereotype, I used this rationale to deny I had a problem. For some reason, the fact that I still had a job and only drunk top shelf vodka, allowed me to convince myself that I didn’t qualify as an alcoholic.
However, since becoming sober, my understanding of alcohol addiction and alcohol misuse disorder has become a lot more expansive. I can now see, in hindsight, that there were plenty of signs within my behaviour that might’ve suggested I had a drinking problem.
Here are my Top 7 Signs that might suggest you have a drinking problem:
You Drink To Blackout
I used to think this meant drinking until you passed out, which I did on countless occasions. However, what I’m referring to when using the term ‘blackout’ is drinking to the point where you are still conscious, yet you have no recollection of your actions or behaviour. It is a known fact that alcohol interferes with our short-term memory, so drinking consistently over a period of time will cause you to have “black spots” of memory loss throughout the night. Unfortunately, this usually occurs when we’ve reached a level of intoxication that also impacts our inhibitions, meaning we act out on certain behaviours we would normally never do whilst sober. Sometimes you will have maintained snippets of memory throughout the evening, but unable to piece together the full events of the night. As a result, you wake up the next morning with feelings of guilt, shame and remorse. These feelings are then exacerbated when hungover due to the discomfort caused by the body fighting the process of detoxification.
You Try Swapping Drinks To Limit The Effect
Have you ever thought to yourself “champagne goes straight to my head, so I’ll just stick to white wine”? Or what about, “I can’t drink spirits on an empty stomach, so I’ll try drinking beer instead?” Here’s a newsflash for you: people who don’t have a problem managing their alcohol consumption, don’t need to setup “control techniques”. The simple fact that you are trying to “control” your alcohol consumption, might suggest you have a drinking problem. As an alcoholic, it used to baffle me when I’d see someone have two standard drinks and stop. Because whenever I had two drinks, it would set off in me a phenomenon of craving and I wouldn’t be able to stop. But for the average temperate drinker, their intention is not to get intoxicated. Therefore, it doesn’t really matter what “type” of drink they’re consuming, as they will stop before there are any negative side effects.
You Commit To Periods Of Sobriety (e.g. 30 days) But Cannot Stick To It
Who can relate to signing up for Feb Fast or Dry July, only to get half way through the month and throw in the towel because you forgot your favourite band was coming into town or you blanked on a friend’s birthday party? While this could simply suggest you have an aversion to commitment, if when you truly make a commitment to abstain, and you are unable to do so, it could suggest you have a drinking problem.
There are countless benefits to giving up alcohol for a short period of time, some of which include;
· Within one week, your sleep patterns will improve, which in turn impacts your cognitive function, diet and energy levels.
· After two weeks off the booze, your stomach lining is normalised as acid production is stabilised. This will eliminate reflux and many people start to lose weight as a result of the additional calories no longer entering the body.
· After three weeks, your blood pressure will start to reduce which in turn reduces your risk of heart problems and stroke.
· After four weeks, your skin will be looking younger and more radiant as your body is able to maintain appropriate hydration levels. Along with this, your liver function will begin to improve which will benefit overall performance within the body as the liver is responsible for storing vital minerals and vitamins.
As you can see, the benefits of taking a break from the booze, far out way those of continuing to drink. So, if you’re struggling to give your body the well-deserved break it most likely needs, it could be a good time to ask yourself why?
You Can’t Guarantee Your Behaviour When You’re Drinking
Because alcohol impacts our ability to make rational decisions, those of us that drink to excess, often end up doing things that we later regret. I’ve lost count the number of times I ended up in strange places with people I didn’t know, often putting myself in danger. At the time this was driven by a risky cocktail of lowered inhibitions along with the drive to continue drinking, wherever the party was. Just as you can wake up with guilt, shame and remorse, due to ‘blackouts’, you can also experience impending dread when you wake up and realise exactly what you’ve done. Often for me, it would be scrolling through my bank account the following morning, only to realise I’d put my card behind the bar and spent way more money that I could afford, that I’d be flooded with feelings of regret and overwhelm for the consequences I would now have to face as a result of my actions.
According to the Addiction Centre, infidelity is more likely to occur when a person is intoxicated. This is due to inhibitions being lowered and impaired judgement. While a person might contemplate cheating on their partner while sober, they are more likely to act on this thought if drunk. Often when we drink to excess, we become carefree and have little to no regard towards the consequences of our actions. Furthermore, we take little consideration of how our actions could harm others, including the ones we love most.
Relationships Are Damaged As A Result Of Your Drinking
When I was in the grips of addiction, I wasn’t able to see that alcohol was the source of my problems. And while it was obvious to everyone around me, I myself couldn’t accept that alcohol was having such a negative impact on my life. When my friends and family tried to suggest I might have a problem with alcohol, I was highly offended and felt misunderstood. Instead of leaning into their support, I begun to isolate myself even more, turning to alcohol, like I would a close friend. This became a perpetual cycle as the feelings of isolation led me to drink even more which in turn created further isolation.
Because I’d begun to romanticise alcohol and rely upon it, the thought of giving it up was something I wasn’t willing to entertain and I started to feel like the world was against me. I would often blame people, places and things for my own misfortune, because I was unwilling to accept the reality that alcohol and my behaviour were the problem.
However, when I became sober, my life stopped burning to the ground. Slowly the chaos turned to calm and I realised I had been the creator of the carnage all along. In sobriety, I have become a more reliable employee, friend, sister and daughter. I’m able to be accountable and show up when I say I’m going to be somewhere. I no longer have to make empty apologies for my behaviour and things I’ve said while intoxicated and later regretted. I’m able to be take estimable actions which in turn builds my self-esteem. Something that had been gravely damaged throughout my years of drinking. I’m forever grateful for the repaired relationships I’ve reclaimed in sobriety.
You Drink Alone
In the majority of Western cultures today, it is socially acceptable to drink alcohol. In fact, it would be considered unusual to attend an event such as a wedding or birthday and not have alcohol be present. For many of us, alcohol acts as a social lubricant and when drunk responsibly, can positively enhance an evening. However, if you have alcohol abuse issues, it is more likely that drinking alcohol will have a negative impact on your night.
When you choose to drink alone, you are no longer drinking to enjoy the benefits of social lubrication. You are drinking for effect alcohol produces. Whether that’s to relax, unwind or switch-off, the simple fact that you’re using a drug to shift your mental and physical state, should be something that’s considered. Often, alcohol misuse disorder will start with the occasional glass of wine at home alone, however, as your tolerance begins to build, you begin to require larger quantities to experience the same effect that one glass used to provide. The risk is that over time this can lead to full-blown alcohol dependency.
Drinking Makes You Sick
Most people have heard about the dangers of alcohol poisoning; however, you don’t need to drink to this extreme to still potentially cause damage to the body.
In 2009 I spent nine months travelling around Europe and in that entire time, I would have had less than five alcohol free days. Around three months into the trip, my body had become so resistant to alcohol, that I would throw up every single time I drank. It didn’t matter whether I had two drinks or ten drinks, the moment my body registered that alcohol had re-entered my system, my body would be physically sick, to try and remove the poison.
In his book, Alcohol Explained, William Porter explains that whether you’re a novice or a seasoned drinker, the reason you vomit is the same. Essentially the body reaches a point where the amount of alcohol in your system is at a level that is causing a serious threat to your life, so that the nausea receptors (usually anaesthetised by alcohol) are triggered.
Another way alcohol negatively impacts your health is by increasing anxiety. Because alcohol is a depressant, when you ingest the substance, your brain sets off signals to the body to produce more adrenaline (to counteract the depressant). However, what ends up happening is that the depressive effects of the alcohol wear off and you are left with an over-saturation of a stimulant in your body, which in turn causes you to feel anxious. My anxiety became so intense from abusing alcohol that I was hospitalised for a panic attack and was put on anti-anxiety medication for two years. Incredibly, when I stopped drinking, the anxiety left me and at one year sober, I was able to taper off my medication.
Despite experiencing all of these seven signs throughout my drinking, I still struggled to accept that I had a drinking problem. If you, or someone you know relates to this article, there are support networks you can reach out to for more information.
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