How Do I Know If I Am An Alcoholic?
Alcohol addiction is a terrible affliction that can affect people from all walks of life regardless of gender and social and economic status. Alcoholism can be seen in many different forms and many stereotypes you have seen or heard are often untrue. When we think of alcohol addiction, we imagine a stumbling drunk that is unemployed but many people that are alcoholics have jobs that they work full-time and have a loving families. You may have already heard of ‘functioning alcoholic’, many people can be addicted to alcohol but still function throughout the day doing tasks that may seem impossible for an alcoholic to be doing daily.
There can often be a fine line between the casual drinker and an alcoholic, where do we draw the line between a full-blown alcohol addict and someone who enjoys a few drinks with their friends? We’ve put together this article to delve deeper into what is an alcoholic and how to know if you are suffering from alcohol addiction.
Understanding more about alcohol addiction is crucial, if you are or know a loved one who may be suffering from an alcohol addiction then there is always hope through rehabilitation, here at AnorMed we have helped those suffering from alcohol & drug addiction find the right rehabilitation in order to treat their addiction and start getting back to the healthiest version of themselves.
What Is An Alcoholic?
An alcoholic is described as someone who consumes alcohol beyond their ability to control it and can’t give up consuming alcohol due to building a dependency on the substance. Someone who suffers from alcohol addiction will display behaviours such as being intoxicated daily and consuming a larger amount of alcohol than most people. In short terms, an alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol.
It is labelled as a physical compulsion combined with a mental obsession with consuming alcohol. Cravings for alcohol can be seriously strong especially if they attempt to withdraw themselves from drinking alcohol where they will start to experience withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholics will often try to seek out alcohol even in situations where they know they shouldn’t.
What Causes An Alcohol Addiction?
Unfortunately, there has been no clear cause identified for why someone suffers from alcohol addiction. Alcohol Use Disorder has been found as something that happens when a person abuses alcohol over a period of time, due to them drinking alcohol in large amounts, it changes the chemical makeup of their brain.
There are many different factors that can cause people to start craving alcohol such as genetics, family history, environment and psychological factors. When certain factors are combined together, the likelihood of someone becoming alcoholic increases but that doesn’t mean just because someone close to your family is an alcoholic, you will become an alcoholic.
Signs That You May Be An Alcoholic
It is difficult to recognise that you or a loved one may be suffering from alcohol addiction. The problem is that bad habits such as frequent alcohol abuse can add up very quickly meaning that you do not recognise the impact that it has further down the line when it starts to affect your physical and mental health. Many addicts believe that they have control over their alcohol addiction.
If you have to start to worry that your alcohol consumption might be starting to seriously affect your physical and mental health, there are a few certain signs that you can look out for that might show that you are currently suffering from alcohol addiction.
Self Medicate Through Using Alcohol
Many people reach for alcohol when they are under stressful situations or as a way to ‘unwind’ as they believe that alcohol can cheer them up. While you may feel happier for a brief period, it will only be worse in the long run. Alcohol is a depressant which means your mood will get worse when the initial effects of alcohol have worn off. If you find yourself constantly reaching for alcohol when you feel down then you should treat this as a big warning sign that you suffer from alcohol addiction.
Hiding Your Drinking Habits
One of the major signs of alcoholism is that you are starting to hide your alcohol drinking from close friends or loved ones as you know for a fact that you have been drinking too much. This can be done in both words or actions such as starting to hide empty bottles in hope that people do not discover them.
Your Whole Life Is Affected By Drinking
Those who drink heavily on a daily basis can start to bring major problems to their life such as their work life, family and relationships. If you keep on drinking alcohol when it is causing major problems in your life then it could be a sign that you are an alcoholic.
Do you feel that your life revolves around alcohol? If you find it difficult to function without alcohol on a daily basis then it could be affecting your life in a serious manner.
You Have Tried To Quit But Can’t
Many alcoholics will have attempted to cut alcohol out of their life altogether but they can’t whether it’d be due to a mental & physical dependency on the drug or they have started to experience withdrawal symptoms and turn back to drinking in order to stop – this is a massive indication that you suffer from alcohol addiction. It can be extremely dangerous to stop drinking if you have an alcohol addiction due to withdrawal symptoms that is why it is recommended that you always seek out medical rehabilitation in order to treat your symptoms under professional supervision.
Finding Help For Alcohol Addiction
If you notice that you are displaying most or all of these signs or know a loved one who is then there is a high chance that you are suffering from alcohol addiction. There is always a silver lining as you can find help through rehabilitation – acknowledging that you are suffering from alcoholism is the first step in recovery, reach out to us today in order to get the treatment needed to get you back to the healthiest version of yourself.
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