Now, today I’m going to be covering something a bit more serious that what I usually write about. But, that’s not to say that this will be an end all guide to knowing whether or not you’re addicted. What I’m going to compile here is, basically, some warning signs that you may need to cut back. Alcoholism in the U.S. is the most normalized addiction I can think of. Imagine if I told you I went on a weekend bender and didn’t remember what happened because of all the coke I did. Sounds horrible, right? Now if I told you that I had a booze filled weekend filled with blackouts you’d probably react much less severely. It wouldn’t be your fault to think this way, either. It’s in our culture to normalize binge drinking.
Anyway, I’ll stop ranting for now. Here are a few warning signs you should take into account when deciding whether to tone back your drinking.
Drinking More Than Intended
This first sign of alcoholism I’m personally guilty of. Have you ever sat down and intended only to have one or two drinks and ended up with four or five? Well, you may have a problem. When you can’t enjoy just a few drinks without the intention to get smashed, you may start to sneak a few extra in every session. Be sure to conciously track how much you drink when you do, and rein yourself in if you feel that control slipping.
Needing More Drinks to Get Drunk
If you start to get an increased tolerance to alcohol, that’s a sign that you may be drinking too much. When your brain adapts to the amount of booze you drink, you have to steadily increase it to catch a buzz. And while some people laud their talent for drinking, this is more than likely a sign that you’re drinking too often and too much.
It’s a dangerous path, because this becomes a snowball effect. You’ll steadily start to need more and more alcohol to get drunk. Before you know it, you’ll be consuming dangerous amounts of booze to get where you want to. Seriously consider slowing down if you start feeling this way.
Drinking to Self Medicate
If you find yourself drinking to deal with your emotions, this is a HUGE red flag for alcoholism. Drinking to deal with the difficulties of life is called self medicating, and is never healthy to do. If this is a behavior you indulge in, you have to find the root of your problems. Covering them up with a haze of booze won’t help.
The feel good response you get by drinking is temporary. It’s a chemical high you feel from the alcohol. Even then, alcohol is considered a depressant. Booze reduces your oxygen intake and, at best, will help you sleep it off. More likely it will lead you down an even darker path with darker thoughts.
Shirking Repsonsibilities
If you repeatedly have put off things that need to be done because of a hangover, you’re likely drinking too much, and may have alcoholism. Things like calling in sick repeatedly, or choosing to drink over chores are also big signs. If you’re at work all day and can only think about having a drink when you get home, you may have a problem. You have to make sure you have more than alcohol to work towards in your day to day life.
Physical Ailments
Alcoholism induces wear and tear on the human body. You can find dozens of physical signs that would take me all day to go into, so I’ll just list a few here.
- Yellowing of the eyes
- Dry skin
- Notable weight loss or gain
- Brittle hair
- Flushed skin
- Advanced aging signs
- Feet swelling during drinking
And many more. At the end of the day, it’s going to be you who decides whether you’re drinking too much. Consider if you should slow down when reading this list. Or, if you have an addiction, let someone help you. Just remember, your life is worth more than a few drunken hours every day.
