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How Do You Know If Your Drinking Is Out Of Control
A person who uses alcohol responsibly is typically called a social drinker which means that he or she exhibits low-risk drinking behavior. Typically, social drinkers have only one or two drinks at a time, and their drinking is often limited to social scenarios. When a person begins to use alcohol as a means of coping with stress or hardship, he or she begins to associate relaxation and relief with alcohol use.

The risk is the individual will slowly increase his or her use of alcohol as a coping mechanism over time, all the while becoming more and more physiologically dependent. In many support groups for alcoholics, it’s often said that an alcoholic is someone who cannot predict what the outcome of his or her drinking will be. This expression essentially means that when a person with a drinking problem has a drink, the individual can’t be certain how many drinks will follow that first one or what types of behaviors he or she might exhibit while under the influence. Because so many people drink, it can be hard to tell when someone is struggling with an alcohol problem. Some people will drink occasionally and never have an issue. Others will develop habits and addictions to alcohol that will impact their health, careers, families, and relationships.

There are various warning signs to help detect potential alcohol abuse. While many signs are recognizable, others may be more difficult to identify. Also, the severity of alcohol abuse may play a role in the warning signs a person exhibit. For example, some people try to cover their alcohol abuse by drinking in private and isolating themselves from others. This makes it challenging for family members or friends to intervene and help their loved one. Alcohol abuse can lead to an array of issues, affecting both your personal and professional life. Prolonged drinking puts you at risk for developing serious health complications and can cause other potentially life-threatening consequences.

The first stage of alcoholism is a general experimentation with alcohol. These drinkers may be new to different forms of alcohol and likely to test their limits. This experimental stage is commonly seen in young adults. These experimental drinkers also frequently engage in binge drinking. While they may not drink regularly, they consume exceptionally large amounts of alcohol at one time. Med line Plus characterizes binge drinking as You may become more depressed, more anxious, or start losing sleep. You may start to feel sick from heavy drinking but enjoy its effects too much to care. Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking. One of the biggest concerns with risky drinkers is when they don’t think they have a problem. Any stage of alcoholism is problematic. Moderate drinking is the only safe way to consume alcohol, but drinking, in general, isn’t safe for everyone.