Spotting the Many Signs of Alcoholism
Did you know that there are millions of individuals walking around the world today who consume alcohol on a daily basis and suffer from the disease alcoholism? These individuals suffer the many negative effects of alcoholism and what is even more devastating is that million of individuals suffering from alcoholism have a negative impact on the lives of those around them making alcoholism a disease that impacts more than a million lives everyday.
Every alcoholic starts out as an occasional drinker, a social drinker, someone who thought they could handle alcohol. Alcoholism may have been sneaking up on them but others may have witnessed the physical, physiological, personal and professional effects that alcohol has had on their life for some time. How do we spot those individuals who walk among us and are alcoholics?
There are many signs of alcoholism that are easy to spot and some that are easily disguised and may take a little investigative work in order to uncover these not so obvious signs of alcoholism. It is important to distinguish the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism when looking for signs. Someone who is abusing alcohol is not using alcohol responsibly by drinking in excess or by drinking and driving or drinking and operating machinery. The person suffering from alcoholism has a disease that makes them crave alcohol in order to feel "normal" they are not in control of their great need for alcohol and suffer withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not available.
The general rule is that on average a healthy male can consume one or two alcoholic drinks per day, and a non-pregnant woman can consume one alcoholic drink per day without having any adverse health risks associated with that level of alcohol consumption. An alcoholic will build up a tolerance for alcohol and will need to consume more alcohol in order to maintain the same level of "influence" and so with higher levels of consumption come more health risks and signs of consuming alcohol become more evident. Some of these signs are the result of the alcohol-related illnesses that are a result of the drinking others is signs associated with psychological ramifications of the effects of alcohol.
General signs of alcoholism:
- Abusive behavior towards fellow drinkers, family members or strangers
- Becoming angry when being confronted about drinking habits
- Daily or frequent drinking is necessary in order for the individual to feel "normal"
- Drinking in secret
- Failing to care for physical appearance
- Found looking for excuses to drink
- Frequently drinks alone
- Inability to reduce or stop alcohol consumption
- Loss of ability to function at work, home or school
- Loss of memory
- Poor dietary habits
- Trembling of hands in the morning
- Violence associated with drinking such as getting into fights
