Are you concerned that you or someone you know may have an alcohol use disorder? This is a medical condition that impairs someone’s ability to stop or control their alcohol use, despite the adverse effects it is having on their lives.
In moderation, drinks such as red wine may have some cardiovascular benefits. However, when consumed in excess, alcohol can lead to detrimental mental, physical, and emotional effects.
That’s why it’s important to know the key signs of an alcoholic. When you’re aware of what to look for, you can take action to intervene as soon as possible.
Today, we’re sharing seven symptoms that could point to a potential alcohol use disorder.
1. Hiding Their Drinking
One of the signs of alcoholism is that the person affected by this disease often tends to drink in private. This is because, at this stage in the journey, drinking may have transitioned from being an enjoyable social activity into a harmful coping mechanism.
The person may also feel shame and denial around their problem and seek to hide it from others out of necessity. They may also lie about how much they’re drinking to downplay the severity of the issue.
When this is happening, you might find bottles in places that you’d never expect. They may show up under the bed, in the closet, or stashed away in the laundry room. While this is one of the trickiest drinking problem signs to spot, it can signal that a more significant issue is at work.
2. Drinking at Different Times of the Day
You wouldn’t typically think of a six-pack as an ideal breakfast, but the time of day doesn’t exactly matter to someone struggling with alcohol abuse. They may drink from the time the sun rises to the moment it sets. Or, they may drink at odd or unusual times of the day, such as very early in the morning.
To hide this fact from others, you may find that they visit the bathroom frequently to brush their teeth or use mouthwash. This way, they can conceal the smell of alcohol on their breath. This is an especially common tactic for someone who drinks at work or on their lunch break.
While you might think that this person would act drunk or disorderly in public, this usually isn’t the case. In fact, alcoholics may not show any signs of consumption at all. For this reason, they may even boast about their ability to hold their liquor, or function as normal.
This isn’t a trait to commend or condone. In time, high-functioning alcoholism will eventually catch up with the person. They may start to suffer social and professional consequences for drinking at inappropriate times.
This may include job losses, DUI arrests, or academic failures. While you might expect these red lights to scare someone into stopping, they often do very little to deter their behavior.
3. Social Functions Revolve Around Alcohol
One of the most prominent alcoholic signs is that the person cannot attend a social function without finding or making a drink. They may claim that they use alcohol to relax their nerves or make them more vocal, but the reality is that they physically cannot go that long without it.
If someone starts asking whether there will be drinks at an event, consider this a red flag. It might not always signify that they have a drinking problem, but it’s worth noting. This behavior is especially concerning if it occurs at the same time as other signs on this list.
At social events, someone struggling with alcohol abuse may also be known to take their drinking way too far. They might be the person who always blacks out, and wakes up the next morning with a foggy memory of what happened a few hours before.
If you’re that person, then ask yourself what causes you to take drinking to the extreme. Blacking out isn’t a prerequisite to having fun, so there is almost always an underlying reason.
4. Drinking to Feel Better
When you have a glass of wine or two, it can help relieve the physical sensations associated with stress. This is because alcohol is a sedative and depressant. When you consume it, it directly affects your central nervous system and temporarily slows its normal function.
While someone may welcome a drink at the end of a long workweek, they shouldn’t begin to rely on it to function. One of the first alcoholism signs is hearing someone say that they drink to feel better. For instance, they might say that they do so to relieve anxiety, or to make them happier.
While this may work in the short term, keep in mind that there will always be an eventual shift back into reality. Those feelings that you push aside for a while will creep back in once the effects wear off. Often, they’re worse than they were before because there are now feelings of shame mixed in, too.
5. Getting Defensive About Drinking
When you first notice the telltale signs of alcohol abuse, you might bring up your concerns with the person affected. In response, they may lash out at you and become irate. They may also get incredibly defensive and claim that they absolutely do not have a problem, and they’re mad that you incorrectly assumed they did.
Be prepared, and understand that this may negatively affect your relationship with that person. However, it’s an important conversation to have, even if it is a sensitive and uncomfortable one.
At the same time, you want the meeting to be productive and fruitful. Otherwise, you could create a chasm that’s unbridgeable, along with some really deep wounds. Take the time to learn more about how to stage an effective intervention before you begin.
The key is to approach this conversation with grace and try not to take on a strong, accusatory tone. This is a health condition, despite the stigma that it may carry. The person you’re speaking with may want to quit but simply doesn’t have the physical control to do so.
Often, these talks will lead to the person entering a treatment facility. Or, they may agree to speak to a therapist to sort through why they drink excessively, and exactly what feelings and traumas they’re trying to suppress.
6. An Inability to Quit
One of the most upsetting signs that someone is dealing with alcoholism is that they are unable to quit, no matter how hard they try. They may enter into outpatient therapy programs, rehab facilities, and 10-step programs only to find that they’re right back where they started.
As someone close to them, you can be there to offer support and a listening ear. One of the most helpful things you can do is to help them take a serious look at their social circle. Often, alcoholics slip back into their familiar patterns because of the people they are hanging around.
If these people abuse alcohol themselves, they’re likely to tempt the person into engaging in their old habits. They may bring drinks to social functions, even if they know they’ve given them up. A clean, sober circle is one of the most beneficial things you can help your loved one find, and it will be essential to their long-term, continued recovery.
7. Physical Symptoms of Withdrawal
We’ve saved this one for last, because most of the early signs of alcoholism aren’t quite as apparent as this one. When someone is actively trying to wean themselves off alcohol, they may exhibit physical signs that you need to understand.
Physically speaking, some of the most prominent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- Shaky hands
- Profuse sweating
- Nausea
- Extreme fatigue
- Loss of appetite
In addition, the person may show emotional signs of distress, too. They may appear to be excessively anxious, nervous, or irritable. They may also seem depressed, with little energy to do the things that they once enjoyed.
Keep in mind that many of these symptoms mimic how an alcoholic feels on a regular basis. Usually, they will go away once the person has even one drink.
Understanding These Signs of an Alcoholic
If you can relate to these seven points, then you may be suffering from an alcohol abuse disorder. It’s also important to identify and address these signs of an alcoholic in others.
If you’re unsure about navigating these next steps on your own, there are professional counselors who can help. Reach out to your local center to learn more about the resources available and speak to someone who can walk you through them.
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