Alcoholic, binge drinker, drunkard, boozer, lush. Each word is driving across the same message. This person has a drinking problem. And boy are they not alone.
According to the NIAAA 14.4 million Americans over the age of 18 are affected by Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
In this post today we are going to look at how you can determine whether you have a drinking problem and what you can/should do about it.
We have previously discussed 19 reasons you may want to stop drinking. In that post we talked about how when you stop drinking you will have more money, more time, a healthier body, a healthier mind and many other improvements. If you haven’t read that post yet I do recommend you check it out.
There was one ‘reason’ that was purposely not mentioned in that article. Not because it is unimportant. No. It’s probably the furthest from unimportant a reason can be. It wasn’t included in that post because that post was mainly about the benefits of stopping drinking. And this reason is anything but.
Reason to stop drinking #20
Because you have a drinking problem
It’s as simple as that. If alcohol is becoming a problem in your life then you should think about stopping.
Obviously knowing you should stop and actually stopping are two completely different things with wildly contrasting difficulties. But as most (if not all) support programs will tell you, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
– 1st step Alcoholics Anonymous
Most people who have a drinking problem are not surprised to find out. They may have been in denial about it but all the signs were there. So how do you know if you have a drinking problem? To start with take the below questionnaire:
Answer YES or NO to the following questions. You are only answering to yourself here so try to be honest and truthful. Whats the point in lying to yourself at this point, am I right?
- Have you tried to quit drinking before without success?
- Do you regularly exceed the number of drinks you initially intended to have? I.e. You go out for one and end up having 10.
- Have you missed any days of work or school because you were drunk or hungover?
- Do you regularly engage in unsafe activities while drinking or just after drinking? I.e. driving, operating machinery, illicit drug use etc.
- Do you regularly have “extra” drinks when out with friends? As in your friends have 4 drinks but you have 8.
- When sober do you ever have strong cravings to drink?
- Have you ever drank to relieve symptoms of depression or because you were feeling nervous or anxious?
- Have you ever cancelled plans so that you could start, or continue, drinking?
- Do you regularly have alcohol related memory loss?
- Have you ever been injured as a result of your drinking?
- Has your drinking ever caused issues with your family or friends?
- Do you think your life would be better if you did not drink?
Now these questions aren’t exactly scientific. They are more philosophical in nature. They are designed to get you to think about your drinking; how it affects others and just as importantly how it is affecting you and who you can be.
If you have answered YES to any of these questions then you have abused alcohol at some point in your life. If you answer YES to more than one of these questions and do so frequently then you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Whether that rises to “a problem” can only be answered by you.
Now truly reflect on the answers you gave to the above 12 questions and answer this 13th and final question:
Do you have a drinking problem?
If you are being completely honest with yourself and still answered no then I am happy for you. Maybe bookmark this page in case you ever need to revisit your relationship with alcohol.
If you answered yes then we have some work to do.
Steps to take
Firstly I recommend further research to determine how you should best approach going sober. If you have a physical dependence on alcohol then it is not recommended that you go cold turkey. To start I recommend reading the below posts:
Diagnostic Criteria
Quit Drinking Methods
How I Quit Drinking
Physical Symptoms of a Drinking Problem
What triggers you to drink?
Secondly I recommend you go to a meeting (find your nearest meeting here). When you are first coming to terms with this it is best to be around other people who have been there before. Go to a few meetings and just listen to what is being shared. You may find that some aspects of the meeting aren’t right for you. And that’s OK. Just be mindful of the things that are right for you.
Take what you need and leave the rest behind
A popular AA motto. It basically means that each person’s sobriety is unique. So take the ideas that will help you maintain your sobriety, and leave the rest of the ideas behind.
Finally do not continue to struggle alone. Tell your friends and family what is going on. Keep going to the meetings (try different meetings if the first one is not for you). Check in on the online communities.
If after all of this you are still struggling and need someone to talk to then consider therapy. A professional therapist will be able to provide an expertly tailored treatment plan that will help in the mental road to recovery. While you may get over the physical cravings in a relatively short period of time; the mental, social and psychological triggers can and will linger for years to come. Therapy will help with this, and more.
