Often when alcohol starts to become a problem in someone’s life, they expend lots of energy trying to convince themselves it’s not as bad as it seems, it could be worse or they could stop anytime they want. Sadly, these assertions are rarely based in reality. Whether you realized it on your own or someone else told you, you may no longer have the control over your relationship with alcohol that you once did. If you’re concerned your habit may have morphed into an addiction, take a look below at five signs that you may be addicted to alcohol.
- You have been gradually drinking more, whether it’s more days per week or more drinks per day. One of the most destructive aspects of alcohol addiction is that it continually takes more for you to achieve the desired effect, and this acts as a toxin to your system, attacking your liver, brain, heart and nervous system. Sometimes people tell themselves that they don’t have a problem because they don’t drink alone, they don’t drink before noon or they don’t drink every day. But you can still have a drinking problem even in the absence of these habits. Think of the person who only drinks once a month, but goes on a binge and is gone all weekend, worrying their family and possibly engaging in risky or destructive behaviors such as driving drunk, passing out in the street or engaging in unprotected sex with prostitutes.
- You lie about how much you drink if anyone asks, and you may tell others you haven’t been drinking when you have. People are sensitive to or feel insecure about different things. They may lie about their weight if they think they are too heavy, or they may otherwise invent or embellish details of their life to make themselves seem more successful, fun or interesting. The same is true for drinking — if you are afraid others will judge you because of how much you drink, you may lie about it. Whether you do this in the doctor’s office, at home or among friends, it’s a sign that you know you are drinking more than you should — or want to.
- You have been unsuccessful when you tried to quit or cut down on drinking. Inability to stop drinking when you want to is one of the clearest signs you are addicted to alcohol. You may be able to recall a time that you had plans to go out and told yourself you would not have more than a certain number of drinks, but then you exceeded that number. You may have told yourself you wouldn’t drink at all, and this promise may have lasted for a few weeks, a few days or only a few hours.
- Others have told you that your drinking is a problem. If your friends or family members have become angry at you due to your drinking, you can be certain it is a problem for them, even if you think it is not a problem for you. They may not have staged an intervention yet, but that may not be as far-fetched of an idea as you imagine. If your friends or family have confronted you about your drinking, how did you react? Angrily? By telling them they had no right to tell you what to do? Did you act dismissively, telling them they don’t know what they’re talking about, and you have everything under control? If so, it’s probably time to take a closer look at the situation.
- Drinking is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning. Drinking excessively is often a way that people with serious life challenges soothe their disappointment, fear, anxiety, anger and other negative emotions. Some of these issues are rooted in circumstances such as being in dysfunctional relationships or struggling financially. Other times, the addiction may lead back to a mental health issue, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD or bipolar disorder. If you wake up in the morning and your first thoughts are how difficult it will be to get through the day and that you need a drink, you likely have not just a problem with alcohol, but also possibly a mental health issue or an impending crisis in your life.
Signs of alcohol addiction are truly almost innumerable. You hide alcohol in your home, car or at work. You’ve flunked out of college. You’ve gotten a DUI and lost your license. You’ve gotten fired for poor performance or drinking on the job. You have lost your home due to your inability to pay the rent or mortgage because it’s difficult to hold a job. Your partner has left you or threatened to leave you if you don’t stop drinking. You sometimes wake up in an unfamiliar place and have no memory of how you got there. These are all extreme examples, and if even one of them is familiar to you, you may be addicted to alcohol.
The therapists and counselors at Alpine Recovery Lodge have helped hundreds of people just like you beat their addiction to alcohol. At our inpatient facility, you take part in an intensive residential program created to give you the best chance at success. You may have tried quitting drinking on your own or you may have participated in a 12-step program without success. We know how hard quitting drinking can be, and that is why we developed our inpatient treatment program — because many people are unable to quit without the 24/7 support we provide at our rehab facility.
When you’re addicted to alcohol, you often hear, “This is your last chance,” whether at work, at school, at home or elsewhere. Alpine Recovery Lodge gives you that chance. Call us today.