Do I have a problem with alcohol?
Is this question starting to nag in the back of your mind? For me, I knew years before I finally committed to stopping drinking that I had problem with alcohol. It wasn’t always necessarily the sheer volume I drunk that worried me, but it was also my dependency on knowing that at some point during that day I would be able to drink wine, every day. If I had a feeling that something was going to get in the way of me being able to drink, then I would actively try to change my schedule to ensure I would be able to drink when I wanted to, sometimes this was at the sacrifice of spending time with my family, which I now look back on with disappointment with how I acted. However, I know now that it was the grip that alcohol and the addiction had on me and for a long time it was going nowhere.
I love being (and need to be) in control of all areas of my life, from business through to personal, however, it is odd now looking back that I didn’t seem to mind for decades that alcohol was controlling me. I guess I felt at the time that I was in control and allowing myself to drink when I wanted, but in truth, this was a fallacy and alcohol was completely running the show for 20 years!
Life changing moment
The biggest life changing moment I have had was when I actually stopped and asked myself, do I have a problem with alcohol? Yes, I had previously had instances where other people briefly mentioned a concern to me, however, these were far and few between. Before I was mentally in a position to start challenging myself, I made sure that I was surrounded by other people who enjoyed drinking, so I didn’t have to face questions or concerning looks. Over time though, I had too many instances presented to me which highlighted that I really did need to step back and consider whether I had a problem or not with drinking and for a time, I wasn’t prepared to properly answer it. However, once the question was in my mind, I couldn’t shift it and it raised its head every time I reached for another bottle or glass of wine.
If you were to search online for answers to the question of whether you have a problem with alcohol or not, you will be presented with numerous answers which relate to the consumption in terms of units of alcohol. I do not believe it can be solely measured in this manner. To me, having a problem with drinking isn’t just not being able to stop once you start, but it’s also not being able to say no to just one drink. Or, you convince yourself you are not drinking for a day but within a few hours you have your alcohol drink of choice in your hand. The need and desire to drink is stronger than the willpower to not drink. It doesn’t matter how many glasses of alcohol were consumed, whether it was 1 or 10, for a moment in time, alcohol took over and told you what was happening.
From the simple act of asking myself, is my drinking a problem, made me realise that I am concerned enough to even be thinking about it. This started the process of becoming sober curious and researching into addiction from reading books, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos and joining online support groups. The more I challenged myself and my drinking and the more I researched it, I realised that I did have a problem. I also started to uncover the reasons why I had become addicted which goes way back to unresolved issues from my childhood, manifesting themselves into an addiction in my adult life.
What about you?
From that moment of starting to question everything about alcohol and how it sat in my life and whether I had a problem, was when my life changed. Since stopping drinking and starting my quit alcohol programme, I am extremely proud of being able to help other people who also have an addiction to alcohol and just being able to help means so much to me and keeps me focused and pushing forward. Therefore, I wanted to create a quiz for anyone who is wondering whether they have a problem with alcohol or not, which you can participate in below. This quiz has been designed by me having used my own experience with alcohol addiction and also speaking to a vast number of people within my quit alcohol programme and members of my Facebook Support Community. This is your safe space to be able to answer the questions honestly and secretly and I really hope it helps you to understand if your drinking is a concern and something that you should look into further.
I hope this quiz I have created helps you to start to explore whether your drinking is a problem or not and I would also love to hear from you in the comments section below. What did you think of the quiz and did it give you the answer you expected? Let me know and if you need further support, then please do join my free Facebook Support Community where we have thousands of members who support each other daily with the road to recovery and getting life back into control where alcohol is no longer a part. I have also published books on alcohol addiction which you can purchase from Amazon and of course, I add new videos to my YouTube channel on a weekly basis which explore all topics relating to addiction, anxiety, childhood trauma and gaining control of your life.
Take The Quiz
