It is hard for some to make the distinction between social drinking and alcoholism. To recognise when their drinking has crossed over from social to addiction. Social drinking is someone who enjoys an occasional drink or two in the company of friends. There is not a clear definition of an alcoholic but it is generally agreed that when someone’s drinking results in damaging consequences on a regular basis. Such as physical consequences. Be it aggressive behaviour or lack of physical control, or social or personal relationship troubles as a result of drinking, legal problems or mental health consequences, all of these are signals of a drinking problem.
How Much Do You Drink?
Due to the way different people consume/ deal with alcohol it is hard to link how much a person drinks to the severity of the problem they have. Body mass and metabolism differences means that alcohol affects people differently. For example, women feel the effects of alcohol far more quickly than men will. They are at a higher risk for developing alcohol-related problems even if they are consuming less alcohol. Older people (60+) are also affected a lot more by alcohol as they have older livers. Thus meaning they are far less efficient at ridding the body of the alcohol consumed. As opposed to a twenty-something person. Furthermore, the alcohol will affect each person differently due to their daily habits. Such as sleep or the amount a person eats that day.
Alcoholic – Can Develop At Any Age
Consuming rapidly or drinking on an empty stomach will intoxicate you more quickly. This means one 12-ounce beer, or one 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of spirits, such as vodka, whiskey, rum. People with a family history of alcoholism can be more prone to becoming addicted to alcohol as it has been suggested that addiction could be genetic. Those that start drinking from an earlier age are thought to be susceptible to move from being a social drinker to developing a drinking problem.
Do You Feel Guilty When You Drink?
One simple way of gauging as to whether you have a drinking problem or not is by asking questions such as. Has anyone asked you to cut down on your drinking? Does people’s criticism of your drinking infuriate you? Do you feel guilty when you drink? An alternative method of recognising if you have an alcohol addiction would be to assess your own drinking behaviour. Such as going to an event or party without drinking.
Is It Difficult For You To Rationalise Your Drinking? Are you an Alcoholic?
If you find it too difficult or you rationalise drinking despite the target you’ve set yourself not to drink. You may need to re-evaluate your position with alcohol and deem whether you may need help or not. If you cannot enjoy yourself without drinking it is very likely that you are an alcoholic or addict.
The Haynes Clinic is a private alcohol addiction centre. For free and confidential advice, please call 01462 851414
