Undeniable Signs You’ve Got A Drinking Problem

Spotting a drinking problem isn’t as easy as many people think. If you suspect that you may have a problem, here are a few signs that could help to clear things up – and what you can do to fix the problem before it gets worse.

How much is too much?

The US National Institute of Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism recommends drinking no more than 25 units per week.

Just how much is a unit? A large glass of wine equates to about 3.2 units, while a regular bottle of wine is about 9.8 units. Meanwhile, an average pint or bottle of beer is about 3 units. Basically, if you have more have three bottles of wine per week or more than eight bottles of beer per week, you could be drinking too much.

Of course, the amounts of units you’re drinking per week isn’t necessarily a clear indicator than you have a problem. Everyone has a different tolerance to alcohol – which can affect how people are physically and mentally affected. In fact, for some people, it only takes a couple of drinks to display a negative change in mood or to feel sick.

As a result, it’s worth looking for other signs that you may have an alcohol problem.

Signs that you may have a drinking problem

When diagnosing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for. Here are just some of those signs…

Alcohol is damaging your physical health

Years of alcohol abuse can start to take its toll on the body. Some of the physical health problems that can occur as a result of long-term heavy drinking include:

• Liver damage
• Pancreatitis
• Heart disease
• Lung infections
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis (thinning bones)
• Stomach problems
• Infertility
• Sexual dysfunction
• Nerve damage
• Memory loss

If you drink heavily and have started to experience any of these health problems, alcohol could be to blame. This is a sure sign that you should consider lowering your intake – some of this damage may be reversible if you fix the problem early, while many health problems that cannot be reversed can be prevented from getting worse.

Alcohol can of course cause short-term health damage too. Many people are prone to accidents such as falls and slips when under the influence. If you regularly injure yourself after having a few drinks, it could be another sign that you need to cut down on the drinks.

Alcohol has been getting you into legal trouble

It’s possible that alcohol could be getting you into trouble with the law. Because alcohol lowers our inhibitions, it makes us less respectful of rules and regulations. As a result, some people get into fights, turn to vandalism, or are simply disorderly in public when under the influence of alcohol. This can lead to police warnings and arrests in some cases.

A DUI (driving under the influence) charge is one of the most common crimes committed while intoxicated. DUI charges can lead to people losing their licenses and in some cases their livelihood. It’s sometimes possible to get out of DUI charges with state-level appeals and the right legal help. However, not everyone is so lucky.

Many people are able to drink responsibly without breaking the law, while others may repeatedly find themselves committing crimes. If you fall into the latter category, it could be a sign that alcohol is having an unhealthy reaction and that you may need to cut down to prevent yourself from getting in more trouble.

You act aggressively when you’ve had a drink

Alcohol causes changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain – which can make some people more prone to aggression. This can lead people to act in a physically or verbally violent manner, which could damage relationships with others and even lead to others being harmed.

If you notice yourself regularly behaving aggressively towards others after having a few drinks, it could be a clear sign that you need to cut down on your intake. Some people react badly to specific types of drinks such as beer or vodka – cutting out these types of drinks could be another option if you feel that you otherwise behave calmly while drinking.

Alcohol causes you to neglect important responsibilities

Too much alcohol can cause some people to neglect important responsibilities. This could include waking up late and arriving late for work or even forgetting to pick up the kids from school. Neglecting these important responsibilities can have a knock-on effect – you could lose your job or could have a visit from child protection services for instance.

This drinking problem can be similarly solved by cutting down your intake – and by possibly not drinking at certain times such as the night before work or midday on a school day.  

You constantly embarrass yourself after having a drink

Breaking the law, acting aggressively, and neglecting responsibilities are all ways in which you can embarrass yourself when under the influence – but there could be other ways in which you embarrass yourself too from falling over to saying things to people that you regret. Some people can lose all sense of social inhibitions when intoxicated. In some cases, it may not even take a lot of alcohol to trigger this.

If you find that alcohol continually causes you to make decisions you regret the next day, it could be time to cut down. By drinking less, you could find that you’re more in control of the things you say and do.

Alcohol causes you to spend money you don’t have

It’s possible that you could be spending too much money on alcohol – money that ought to be spent elsewhere. In other cases, you could find yourself making reckless financial decisions when drunk such as buying things online you don’t need or gambling.

If this is the case, it could also be a sign that you’ve got a drinking problem and that you need to cut down.

Once you start drinking, you can’t stop

Some people find it hard to stop drinking once they start. Being able to stop at one or two drinks can be necessary for certain social situations. If every time you have a drink you end up drinking until you throw up or fall unconscious, it could be another sign of a problem.

Cutting down the drinks may not be an option in this case unless you’re able to find ways of physically restricting your drinks.

How to drink less alcohol

Drinking less alcohol isn’t easy. Unlike many other drugs, alcohol is socially accepted, and you’ll find it pretty much everywhere. This makes it easy to become socially pressured or tempted into drinking.

That said, if you’ve got a drinking problem, you need to do something about it. Giving up may not have to be an option, but you should make attempts to cut down heavily. Here are some of the ways in which you can convince yourself to drink less.

Encourage others to help you cut down

By expressing the importance of cutting down to friends and family, you can encourage these people to support you. Friends and family may stop offering you alcohol when at social functions and may even be able to talk you out of drinking in certain situations.

Be careful of hanging around with people who are negative influences – if friends continuously pressure you into drinking, they are not the type of people you should be around. People that drink very little or never drink may be able to offer the best support and it’s worth talking to these people. Similarly, don’t be afraid to attend support groups or get one-on-one counseling if you feel it could benefit you.

Switch to alcohol-free substitutes

There are now many alcohol-free wines and beers that taste like the real thing. Not only can these drinks help fill the gap if you previously loved the taste of these drinks – they can also help you stand out less in social situations in which people may be heavily drinking around you (and therefore more prone to pressure you into drinking).

Keep a record of your drinks

A drink journal can allow you to see exactly how much you’re drinking in a week. This could be useful for helping you to keep your intake low. Many of us are not aware of just how much we’re drinking – a journal could help you to visualize it. There are apps that can help you to do this.

Don’t keep alcohol in the house

Having alcohol in the house will make you more tempted to drink. If you have to go out to drink, you’ll feel less pressured to drink a bottle of wine or have four beers each night (it’s not just more effort to drink out, but also more expensive). This can be a little difficult if you live with people who want to continue drinking.