Am I an Alcoholic?
Am I an alcoholic?
It's not a pleasant thought to have. And maybe the answer doesn't matter as much as the reason you asked it. Let's start by reviewing some of the common symptoms and signs of alcoholism:
Signs of Alcoholism
Difficulty in reducing the amount you drink
Drinking again after recently telling yourself you would stop
Hiding your drinking from friends and family
Missing work or activities due to being drunk or hungover
Frequent hangovers that interfere with your day
Feeling sick when sober or having intense cravings to drink
Experiencing frequent blackouts
Engaging in dangerous or risky behavior while drunk
Having to drink more and more to experience the same buzz
Suffered consequences at home, work, or in the public related to drinking
If you can relate to several of the above symptoms then you may be developing a form of alcoholism as defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism- but don't panic yet, these are just suggested signs of abuse.
Maybe you've had a rough few weeks at work or stress in a relationship. It is common for many of us to lean on alcohol during hard times as a crutch. When we continue to rely more on alcohol for extended periods of time our body begins to physically rely on the substance and it becomes harder to quit. Questioning our relationship with alcohol is the first step to recovery from overuse or full-blown addiction.
Think About Your Recent Drinking
Take out a pen and paper (or your notes app) and answer the following questions:
How much have I had to drink in the past few weeks?
Why have I been drinking?
How has it impacted be negatively?
How has it impacted be positively?
Become actively aware of your drinking is critical in understanding the seriousness of your drinking issues. You might realize this has been going on much longer than you thought, or that it is has been slowly increasing over time. Usually you will realize that there are a lot more negatives surrounding alcohol abuse than there is positives, including a seriously negative impact on your sleep quality.
So What Now?
Well, there's a whole lot of 'now' that you can get to. It really depends on how serious you think your issue is but there are a lot of great free resources you can take advantage of regardless of where you are in your journey to recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous offers tens of thousands of meetings throughout the world every day of the week. Sober Grid encourages all forms of recovery alternative or otherwise, and we are proud to have a community of over 350 thousand members who share their experiences to uplift one another. We bolster our members recovery with Certified Peer Coaches who can guide you through a difficult process.
No matter what path you take we're happy to have you visit. You are capable, you are loved, and you will get through this.
