Beer, wine, whiskey, rum and many more, drinking is known to be an activity that many people know and even love. Drinking alcoholic beverages is considered one of the favorite pastimes of people around the world.
Even just one bottle of beer can ease the nerves of a person so then they can finally feel the experience of unwinding until they feel sleepy. But drinking alcohol is still known to cause certain problems if you consume too much.
This is called an alcohol problem already if you tend to drink too much to the point where a day will never be good without it. If you think that you’re one of those daily binge drinkers, and you want to finally enlighten yourself to the truth, then take note of the following 11 signs which signifies that you’re already abusing alcohol consumption:
Signs That You Need to Quit Drinking Alcohol
1. Social Events Are Equal to Drinking
Alcohol problems often start unconsciously within the social circle. There are groups of friends that may get addicted to alcohol together as they consider it as their social event, while they hang out too often as well. This may be a thing that non-alcoholics may even do due to peer pressure and influence of close friends, but alcoholics tend to feel sad if the social event doesn’t involve a bottle of booze or two.
2. Having A Few Drinks Is Never Enough
You may be the type of person who unconsciously drinks to the point where you didn’t even notice that it’s already close to sunrise. This is known to be the very first obvious sign of alcoholism. People tend to lose the number of beer cans/bottles or cocktails that they already took during the evening they went to the bar to have a “good time”. However, this sign can also be seen by people who simply have a high alcohol tolerance, and those who tend to drink but not actually daily.
3. Leaving Your Commitments for a False Thought
Despite all of your commitments in life such as work or bills, you still consider drinking as an event that will only happen “once”, but will actually happen over and over again, no matter how huge the bill at the bar costs. If your alcoholism is severe, you may often forget work due to your new-found love for alcohol. This is one of the most common reasons why alcoholic businessmen tend to fail while increasing their debt even further.
4. You’re Fine Drinking Alone, Often
Those who have noticeable signs of alcoholism can survive to drink a lot even when there are no friends to talk to. This is a noticeable trait if you’re the one who tends to purchase a lot of beer cans or bottles even when you’re not hosting a party for your family or friends. Some who are suffering from severe alcoholism may even neglect their friends just to drink alone.
5. You Drink So Much, You Don’t Even Tell About It Anymore
Some non-alcoholic drinkers that are strong enough can brag all the time when it comes to the booze they drink. But alcoholics can be noticeable when they hide the real amount of beer cans they can consume within a day. But of course, this factor still depends on the severity of alcoholism, which even includes the amount of beer you “shyly” intake.
6. You Black Out, Often
Getting blacked out is a sign that you’re not controlling the way to consume alcohol anymore. Some may find it a funny thing to share with their friends, but if this happens a lot to you, then you may really have a drinking problem already. Memory loss due to excessive partying often leads to more blackouts. This isn’t just risky for your health, it may also risk your life regardless of gender!
7. The Amount You Take Noticeably Increases
You will soon realize that you’re taking even more bottles and shots than ever before. Back then, for sure you feel like your liver is made of iron. But that’s actually your mind commanding you to take more alcohol as you suffer from addiction to your favorite drink. Some even escalate to the point where they drink way too fast than before. Drinking is for chilling, not for hoarding all of the booze.
8. You “Find Ways” To Buy Alcohol
Rich alcoholics tend to suffer from this in the same way as how they spend too much on gambling. In fact, those who are low on the budget may even resort to stealing stuff or increasing their debt just to get the right amount to buy a drink. This is a case that’s for severe alcoholics as they are suffering in the same way as drug addicts are.
9. A Change in Appearance
You will notice a change in your body and face. You will look like a person who has a “beer belly” if you tend to drink a lot. Your appearance may look sleepy oftentimes, with deep eye bags to make you look more like a real alcoholic. It can even cause unhealthy coloring on your skin or eyes if you’re suffering from a disease caused by your alcoholism.
10. Digestive Health Problems
It is normal for your body to experience a stomach ache due to alcohol, and this may often happen after a wild night at the party. But if the upset stomach often occurs to you, then it’s because of your alcoholism already. You will feel less hungry due to your excessive alcohol consumption, and your liver and digestive tract may not keep up with it in the future. This is also one of the obvious signs of alcoholism that may easily lead to diseases.
11. Daily Drinking
The worst sign above all is that you ultimately drink daily, even without any occasion at all. You may have done it earlier than happy hour at some point, too. Alcoholism’s most common and severe sign is daily drinking. Mix this with your habit of drinking more, and you can create a cocktail of addiction with you already in its most noticeable form.
These are the known signs that will surely serve as a wake-up call that you’re already abusing alcohol and your body at the same time. Remember that there are more fun things to do than binge drinking, and it can make you feel even more proud if you do then. After all, feeling proud in drinking after a party is for youngsters only. And for sure you’re already committed enough to stop your alcoholism. If you or someone you know is fighting alcoholism, contact a Panama City alcoholics anonymous group to get help.