10 Signs To Identify If You Need Professional Help for Alcoholism
How much alcohol is too much alcohol? Do I need to seek professional help? These are a few common questions people seek answers to — who are much into drinking. While many people get their hands on alcoholic drinks to celebrate, there are many who have a number of different motives to start and get habitual to drinking.
The good thing is that there are several ways to identify if your occasional drinking habit has turned into an addiction. You can look for certain signs to identify if you are abusing alcohol and need professional help to get over with addiction.
It might come as a shock to many but it is not always necessary that only a person who is a heavy drinker falls for alcohol dependency. So in order to determine the state of your alcohol addiction, you need to make the following observations.
1. You Lose Your Temper Under the Influence of Alcohol
Regular consumption of alcohol affects cognitive thinking and physical function in the body. Have you ever lost control inebriated from alcohol and confronted a violent behaviour within a relationship? If so, this is a high time to take a deeper look into your alcohol use and seek help from rehabs or other treatment providers.
2. You Have Caused an Accident While Driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol is a punishable offence. The person who drives being drunk is prone to losing control over judging the reaction times which often leads to serious accidents. If you are habitual to getting your hands on a steering wheel post gulping alcohol, you might need professional help so that you don’t put someone else’s life in danger ever.
3. You Are Prone To Irritability and Extreme Mood Swings
Alcohol is said to be a sedative and depressant substance that can reduce stress. But do you know the same drink can also intensify anxiety and irritability if consumed for a longer period? Alcohol causes moodiness and heavy tippler can easily get irritated and shows extreme mood swings. If you are experiencing any aforesaid problems, it is possible that you are growing addicted to alcohol and need help.
4. You Have Isolated Yourself and Drink Often in Secrecy
Do you often drink alone? There could be many reasons for people drinking in secrecy, however, in most of the cases, it has been observed that alcoholics who often drink alone actually want to hide their addiction habit from their families and loved ones. This practice often turns into an addiction and makes drinkers refuse to admit dependency.
5. You Are Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms
Those who are binge drinkers and decide to go cold turkey may seem to experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal signs can range from mild symptoms to serious set of problems. Some people are apprehensive to quitting drinking due to severe symptoms of pulling out alcohol from the body. If you are experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, discuss with the doctor and explore through treatment options.
6. You Get Drunk Even If You Don’t Crave for Alcohol
Do you often visit wine or liquor shops just to deal with a bad day? Have you become persistent in finding solace in heavy drinking? Our subconscious and conscious brain are the two different sides of the same coin. The brain of an alcoholic seems to programme the craving state in the mind. That is why most of the serious drinkers are conditioned to gulp bottles after bottles of alcohol even if they do not want to. If you too are prone to drinking even if you are not craving for one, it is time to recognise the sign of alcoholism taking over you.
7. You Are Ignoring Your Major Responsibilities for Alcohol
Alcohol can interfere with your personal as well as professional relationships. If you are neglecting your family, kids and friends, you are making them worried about your condition. If you really care for the people you love, you should stop limiting your social life around alcohol. Perhaps, it is time to quit alcohol. Perhaps, it is time to get an alcohol detox.
8. You Cannot Think of Anything Else Other Than Alcohol
Not able to think beyond alcohol is might be the warning sign indicating to call off the drinking habit. There are many people who do not have anything else to talk about except alcohol. It is often difficult to notice addictive behaviour in oneself. The frequent drinking will do nothing but make your body tolerant which is again a hint to alcohol addiction.
9. You Have Tried a Lot but Still Could Not Cut-Down Binge Drinking
Turning back to bottles in moments of weakness and stress is easy as shelling peas but deciding to cut back on drinking is one of the most courageous acts that can be done. Although, there are people who, even after a lot of efforts, are inclined to alcohol. If you have fallen prey to severe alcohol abuse, it is time to start with making small changes in your habit. If that doesn’t work, approach rehab facilities.
10. You Often Black Out, Lose Consciousness
Those who have been heavy alcohol drinkers for a while now often undergo a few common symptoms such as slowing of reflexes, risky behaviour and much more. But blacking out and losing consciousness are two of the most obvious symptoms that have been observed among many alcoholics. If you too are experiencing sudden blackout because of frequent drinking, it is time to pay a visit to the doctor.
Self Assessments to Identify Alcohol Use Disorders
Besides the aforementioned warning signs, there are a few self-guided tests that can be helpful in knowing whether you are an alcoholic or a moderate drinker.
1. Cut Annoyed Guilty Eye (CAGE) Alcohol Test
It is a simple screening test that comprises a questionnaire to determine potential alcohol problems in people. This test contains a total of 4 self-analysis questions.
2. Michigan Alcohol Assessment (MAST) Alcohol Test
Similar to the CAGE, this is another alcoholism-screening test to identify the heavy drinking problem in tipplers. MAST is considered as one of the oldest and most accurate self-scoring tests to assess a substance addiction problem.