When you Can’t Stop Drinking – The Ten Signs You Have Crossed Over Into Alcoholism
Posted: Thursday, February 07, 2008
by Samantha James
You say to yourself "I can stop drinking anytime I want to" but when was the last time you were actually able to stop? Try it, and it may be a revelation to find you just can't stop drinking.
The transition from heavy drinking to actual alcoholism happens with no fanfare. You don't even know it happened. The signs that a person has graduated from something that resembles normal drinking to alcoholic status include:
You never leave a glass of alcohol partially full.
When you run out of alcohol you have to obtain more immediately.
If you can't get it you suffer.
You resent people intruding during your "drinking time".
Your social calendar revolves around your drinking schedule.
You drink before an engagement at which you are going to drink.
You hide your drinking from others.
You lie to others about the volume and frequency in regard to your drinking.
You drink alone as a result of too many unpleasant incidents while you were drinking in public.
You are less reliable than you used to be due to alcohol interfering with your life.
There are other signs, but if you see yourself in even part of the list above, chances are very good you have developed an addiction.
The dead giveaway when you are truly addicted is you can't live without the stuff. As much as you hate to admit it to yourself, the addiction comes first, over and above anything else in your life. You may even orchestrate your schedule to hide the fact that drinking has taken first place from yourself. You think, "I have my job and I take care of all of my responsibilities. I am a responsible individual", which is usually true in the beginning stages, but continued use will result in some very serious departures from responsible behavior. And worse, you begin to compromise your own standards.
Alcohol will keep you in the game for an incredibly long time, primarily because in the beginning stages of the addiction, most alcoholics are functional and able to handle their responsibilities with little trouble, naturally leading to the conclusion that drinking is having little effect on their lives. As the drinking continues, inevitably the ability to function will erode as the alcohol takes hold, and old ambitions, life dreams, and motivation become just that old, and for the most part unfulfilled.
The transition from heavy drinking to actual alcoholism happens with no fanfare. You don't even know it happened. The signs that a person has graduated from something that resembles normal drinking to alcoholic status include:
When you run out of alcohol you have to obtain more immediately.
If you can't get it you suffer.
You resent people intruding during your "drinking time".
Your social calendar revolves around your drinking schedule.
You drink before an engagement at which you are going to drink.
You hide your drinking from others.
You lie to others about the volume and frequency in regard to your drinking.
You drink alone as a result of too many unpleasant incidents while you were drinking in public.
You are less reliable than you used to be due to alcohol interfering with your life.
There are other signs, but if you see yourself in even part of the list above, chances are very good you have developed an addiction.
The dead giveaway when you are truly addicted is you can't live without the stuff. As much as you hate to admit it to yourself, the addiction comes first, over and above anything else in your life. You may even orchestrate your schedule to hide the fact that drinking has taken first place from yourself. You think, "I have my job and I take care of all of my responsibilities. I am a responsible individual", which is usually true in the beginning stages, but continued use will result in some very serious departures from responsible behavior. And worse, you begin to compromise your own standards.
Alcohol will keep you in the game for an incredibly long time, primarily because in the beginning stages of the addiction, most alcoholics are functional and able to handle their responsibilities with little trouble, naturally leading to the conclusion that drinking is having little effect on their lives. As the drinking continues, inevitably the ability to function will erode as the alcohol takes hold, and old ambitions, life dreams, and motivation become just that old, and for the most part unfulfilled.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)Great info. Ryan
yes. i am convinced that i will die from my drinking.
This info is very helpful, i currently see my self unable to quit and it scares me to deathme too
I AM 38 AND HAVE BEEN DRINKING STRAIGHT EVERY NIGHT AND SOME TIMES IN THE MORNING I AM DESPERATE TO QUIT BUT DONT KNOW WHERE TO BEGINI know the feeling. Giving up drinking is one of the hardest things to do and you have to take it one day at a time. The important thing is you are admitting that you have a problem and that was the first step that led me to give up drinking. Always remember that there are millions of people who have the same problem and you are not alone.
I think everyone has their own problem. You can take out "drinking" in this article and change the word to anything you want and it holds true. Apply to being way too into a crappy girlfriend and bam your addicted! You need help! Really there's a bunch of worthless people in the world and if they feel better being worthless and drunk more power to them. Same thing with productive people as well there's plenty of people who can handle their drinking girlfriends coke habits and lead healthy productive lifes.My Mom is one of those people who must "feel better being worthless and drunk" she's currently dying in a cancer treatment facility from years of alcoholism. I can't begin to explain how this has destroyed my family. The sooner a person can get help from their alcoholism the better off for their families and the millions of dollars in healthcare. I don't think alcoholism is at all like being addicted to a crappy girlfriend.
How dare you people use the words worthless and drunk in the same sentence. I have been fighting this for three years now, sobbing, killing myself trying to quit.. alcoholics are not worthless, we are fighting a fight you cannot understand....Dear Anonymous, It is 2 years & 3 days ago and I hope you are still sober or continuing to try. You are right, alcoholics & addicts are not worthless! We are some of the most intelligent, talented people ever! We just MUST learn to love ourselves. My God Bless you
From Samantha James:People suffering from alcoholism are not worthless, nor are they morally challenged. Quite the contrary, most alcoholics are not only good people, but exceptionally bright.Alcoholism is a disease recognized by the medical world - the very people who are qualified to determine whether this is a disease or not.People on the outside tend to think that the alcoholic is self-centered and having a good time. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is an extremely serious ongoing struggle, and many times with devastating consequences.My advice to problem drinkers is don't waste your breath trying to make someone who doesn't have a problem with alcohol understand the concept of addiction. They will never understand it.And never stop trying to quit drinking for good for your own sake, even when you are very discouraged. You are worth the effort.Samantha
i know that people drink to escape their own thoughts and feelings. You can go on holiday...but they go with you. You can move house...but they come too. Change careers, friends, avoid your family, closest friends, shut yourself off from the world...there is no escape...except when you are so drunk or high that you cant think like yourself anymore. It somehow relieves your conscience, your responsibility, everything, you are...because you are nothing when you are off your face, not responsible...not even you, the closest thing...you think to freedom...but you are free in no real sense, only captive to another thing on this earth. Destroying you and your life with every sip, puff or snort. Sometimes the pain that one lives with (whatever it may be) in every day is worse than the thought of dying one day, because emotionally at the moment "they" are already dead.This is so true. It has happened to me a lot of times (almos every time) that when i'm drunk I no longer care for anything, at all. i start to drink and finish when my body can't take any more. I've tried a lot of times to stop, and i can make it somewhat on weekdays, but come the weekend and I start and cannot stop. Whenever i see someone drinking i think: "i want to have one drink", but i can't. It's the most frustrating thing ever. I've stopped for a year and came back, buty i don't want this to control me. What the hell am i supposed to do? I really want to stop feeling like this, and stop drinking but every time i fail. Is there someone that knows the way?
I know my days are numbered, I know ill die from alcohol... I just dont care.
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