One of my members posted the above question on my Facebook support community the other week and it was a question that gained a lot of attention. There can certainly be a fine line between just enjoying alcohol and having an addiction to drink. You may be wondering if by telling yourself that you just enjoy a drink, are you in control? Or is it actually your addiction shielding you away from the severity of the issue. If you are concerned that your occasional drinking has turned to something more continual and dependent, then please do read on.

In this blog I am going to highlight some of the clear warning signs that your drinking could have turned (or is turning) into an alcohol addiction. Let me first say, that I likely don’t know you or your personal situation and relationship to alcohol. There is no judgement in this post. I was a heavy drinker for 2 decades and what started from a social drink, over years turned into a daily dependency on alcohol and my health and all aspects of my life were being negatively impacted. So without further ado, here are some critical things I looked at in myself to understand how my drinking how become a problem:

#1 Persistency of drinking

For me and I know for many others, a glaring warning sign that I had a problem with drinking was my frequency and persistency to drink. I didn’t get blind drunk every night, but I also couldn’t bear the thought of not having at least one drink a night, every night. To enjoy drinking, you can take it or leave it. You enjoy it when you have it, but it doesn’t take control every day and determines that you have to have a drink, if not your mood will be negatively impacted. For me, I knew awhile before I committed to sobriety that my need to drink every day/night was a big problem.

#2 Failure to stick to promises

Have you ever said to yourself, “I am not drinking this week!” Or, “no alcohol tonight!” Only to find yourself drinking alcohol and using justifications in your mind a few hours later? I have lost count of the number of times this happened to me. I never used to think it was a big deal because I would justify why I should be allowed to drink. However, looking back now, this was a big flashing warning sign that I had an addiction to alcohol. So much so, that my willpower was not able to hold me off from drinking for 24hrs. This is another sign that you may have a problem with alcohol and alcohol is no longer in your life just as an enjoyment.

#3 Alcohol dominates your social schedule

If you just enjoy drinking and you are in control, then alcohol does not start taking over other activities. If you have an addiction to alcohol then everything else comes second to alcohol. I have a number of regrets from my days of drinking and some stick out more than others. One in particular is missed time with my son due to alcohol running the show. Looking back, how was this fun or enjoyable? To be so out of control that I had to know when and where I was having a drink for me to be able to feel any form of relaxation? The truth is, it wasn’t and my addiction was giving me every excuse I could need at the time to drink more and more.

#4 Signs of withdrawal

If your body is not physically addicted to alcohol, then you won’t experience any withdrawal symptoms when you are not drinking. A real wake up call for me was having my hands uncontrollably shake when I was not drinking and realising this was due to my body experiencing withdrawal symptoms because I had become so dependent on alcohol. Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms to alcohol include ‘the shakes’, increased levels of anxiety, sweating, headaches and vomiting (to name a few). If you are experiencing any withdrawals when you are not drinking, then I would highly suggest that your enjoyable drinking has turned into an addiction.

#5 Trust your gut

It might sound cliché to say it, but it really is true. If you are concerned enough about your drinking to think you may have a problem with alcohol, then there could be something behind that. In your gut you know if you still have control or whether you are struggling to say no to alcohol. Although an addiction doesn’t happen overnight, when you look back, it can be both surprising and shocking to realise that in no time at all, what was an enjoyable, once-and-a-while drink has turned in an every-day dependency disguised as enjoyment.

Having an addiction to alcohol is not something to be ashamed about. Alcohol is a drug and with continual use, your body both physically and mentally will build a dependency to it. The past 18 months have been tough on everyone and with us all having to spend more time at home and not being able to get out as much, there are rising cases of alcohol addiction due to being able to drink in private to cope with the boredom and frustration that the lockdowns have provided.

I hope this blog goes some way in helping you identify whether your relationship with alcohol has remained in control or whether you have concerns that your level of drinking and dependency to drink has formed an addiction. If it is the latter then you are not alone and there is so much support, guidance and help that’s out there. Please feel free to also check out my YouTube Channel where I upload new content weekly. I also have my free Facebook Support Group which is private for you to join and is a safe space. You can also find a wealth of information on my website about my sobriety programmes and general addiction support.

 

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