Alcohol Abuse Advice

What Are The Symptoms Of Alcoholism?

If you’re worried that you or someone close to you is an alcoholic, the fact this is on your mind indicates that it is something worth looking into. There are signs you can look out for that you or someone you know is addicted to alcohol.

Once someone accepts that they have an alcohol problem, they are one step closer to dealing with it. Remember that just one of the following behaviours or symptoms or a one-off event does not necessarily indicate that someone is an alcoholic, but could indicate that there is a problem.

One of the major symptoms of alcoholism is drinking alone and lying about it or covering your tracks so that nobody else finds out. Hiding alcohol is also a classic symptom – if you or someone you know is hiding alcohol at home or at work, it is very possible that alcohol abuse could be happening.

If someone gets angry, upset or aggravated when they can’t have a drink, this isn’t a healthy behaviour and could indicate that they are an alcoholic or developing an addiction to drink.

Alcoholics may regularly ‘black out’ or lose parts of their memory from when they have been drinking.

The following symptoms also indicate an addiction to alcohol:

Craving alcohol

If someone regularly has a strong need or desire to drink alcohol, it’s possible that they have a problem.

Inability to control drinking

If someone can’t stop drinking once they’ve started, it suggests that they have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. If you set limitations on how much you will drink and then regularly break them, you could have a problem.

Physical dependency on alcohol

Someone who experiences physical withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating and anxiety when they do not drink alcohol is usually an alcoholic. A related symptom is increased tolerance for drink. Alcoholics often need more and more booze in order to feel the effects.

Questions to ask

Ask these questions of yourself or someone you worry may have a problem with drink.

Do you worry about your drinking?
Have others expressed concern about how much you drink?
 Have you tried and quickly failed to stop drinking?
Do you carry on drinking even if it causes problems with your relationships or at work?
Do you often drink in the day time and/or alone?
Do you experience shakes, sweats or nausea after a period of not drinking?
Have you had numerous memory blanks due to drinking?

If you recognise one or more of these symptoms in you or someone you know, it could be time to consider seeking  help with alcoholism. Various forms of help are available, including residential rehab clinics, outpatient rehabilitation centres, counselling, detox programmes and more.