Signs of Alcoholism

A great number of people drink casually, having a glass of wine or two or a couple of beers after work. Some people enjoy partying on the weekends-with alcohol being a big part of that partying. A lot of vacationers like to let loose and try exotic alcoholic drinks while traveling. For many people, dinner wouldn't be a meal without a bottle of the finest wine to accompany the food.
All of the above examples can describe people who have a healthy relationship with alcohol-or, these examples can describe alcoholics. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a person is enjoying a once-in-awhile celebration that happens to include alcohol or if he is an alcoholic. So, here are 10 signs of alcoholism. If a person exhibits these signs, chances are good that he may be battling alcoholism.

1. Craving for alcohol: Alcoholics have very strong urges to drink and often cannot ignore these urges. They feel compelled to drink.

2. Physical dependence: People who are battling alcoholism not only crave drinks, but they also physically cannot go a day without drinking or else they will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms-such as body shakes--from the lack of alcohol in their system.

3. Tolerance: Alcoholics can drink much more than non-alcoholics can. In fact, many alcoholics can effortlessly drink amounts of alcohol that would leave non-alcoholics passed out on the brink of overdose. Their bodies have become tolerant of the drug, and they need to drink more and more in order to get that "buzz" they are after.

4. Loss of control: Once alcoholism has set in, people are unable to limit the amount of alcohol they drink at any given time.

5. Denial: "I can quit drinking whenever I want," is commonly spoken by many people suffering fro alcoholism. They are in denial of the fact that alcohol has control over their lives.

6. Lying about drinking: Many alcoholics lie about how much they have had to drink and whether or not they were drinking. They do this in order to try to make other people think better of them.

7. Drinking alone: Alcoholics often drink by themselves, not just at parties and along with other people.

8. Missing work or other commitments: Alcoholism causes some people to miss family get-togethers and days of work due to hangovers or due to being drunk.

9. Blackouts: At some point, many alcoholics begin having blackouts. For some, these are of short duration and quite mild. However, for others, blackouts can cause a person to forget an entire evening or even an entire day.

10. Alcohol affecting relationships with family and friends: When the people who know a person best are critical of a person's drinking and believe that he has a problem, chances are he does have a problem. Alcoholism can affect how a person relates to the friends and family closest to him.

A person doesn't have to have all 10 of these signs in order to have an alcohol problem. Actually, if just a few of these warning signs apply to a certain person, it is likely that he is dealing with alcoholism.

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Alcohol Addiction

Signs of Alcoholism

Signs of Alcoholism