Drinking is what we do as a society. Attending a wedding? Toast the bride and groom with champagne. Going out with co-workers after work? It’s happy hour and the drinks flow to help brush off work stress. On a date? Share a bottle of wine between the two of you.
When alcohol becomes a natural part of your life, it can sometimes be difficult to tell when it crosses over into problem drinking, or alcoholism. Whether it’s you or someone you love, deciding if and when to seek help for treating alcoholism can be a serious decision.
Alcoholism Warning Signs
The line between social drinking and alcohol abuse can seem blurred. You may say: I can go out for drinks once a month and not think about drinking any other day … I’m not an alcoholic. But if you can’t seem to stop at a few drinks, you may be headed down the wrong path. Following are some warning signs of a drinking problem:
- If you or someone you love consumes alcohol then gets behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated.
- Mixing alcohol with prescription medication.
- Not being able to stop at one drink, or always drinking more than you meant to.
- Sliding work or school performance.
- Blacking out or not remembering events throughout your time drinking.
- Relationship problems due to your drinking.
- Not being able to relax or unwind without alcohol.
- Hiding your drinking to friends or family members.
- Feeling guilty or ashamed after you drank more than you intended to after you said that you wouldn’t.
- Family members or loved ones are concerned about your drinking.
- Avoiding family commitments or neglecting your children.
- If you’ve ever been in trouble with the law due to drinking: being arrested for driving while intoxicated or drunk and disorderly conduct.
- The feeling that you want to quit drinking, but you just don’t know how to stop.
Causes of Alcoholism
Some people can have one glass of wine at dinner, or attend a friend’s birthday party and sip a few beers, or go out for a night on the town with friends without their drinking getting out of control. For others, a few drinks turns into more drinks and before you know it, it’s a regular occurrence of alcohol abuse, which can make even an occasional drink a dangerous situation.
Doctors and scientists have studied for years why some people can drink responsibly while others go off on a tailspin after their first sip. Drinking problems can be caused from family genetics, your childhood environment and adult relationships with alcohol, your current social environment, and your emotional health. Depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder can exacerbate an alcoholic’s need to drink to help them self-medicate.
Seeking Help from Alcoholism Treatment Center
If you realize that you or someone you love may have a problem, you should feel comforted that while it won’t be easy, there are tools out there to help you on your journey to living sober.
Alcoholism treatment is available for you and the entire family. It’s important to remember to not be ashamed. You certainly are not alone. The disease of alcoholism affects millions of people and knows no economic status, race or culture. If you or someone you love would like to start treating alcoholism in a setting that heals the isolation, loneliness and behavioral problems that every addict faces over the course of their disease, contact Talbott Recovery today.
