Most people describe themselves as social drinkers. That means they might have a drink with friends at dinner, meet with co-workers for a drink after work, or have a beer or two at the family cookout.
While men are more likely to drink than women, there’s a big difference between social drinking (or even casual drinking) and more concerning consumption habits. Consider why you might drink at a social event. Many people don’t think twice about it. However, others might have a drink to calm their nerves on a first date or fit in with their friends.
Those underlying reasons and the enjoyment of the way alcohol makes you feel can easily pull the trigger that causes your habits to switch from social drinking to problem drinking.
If those underlying reasons for drinking sound familiar, it’s essential to recognize the differences between social and problem drinking and develop a deep understanding of what you can do to prevent alcohol abuse in your life.
Are Your Habits Becoming Harmful?
The first step in avoiding problem drinking is to look at your current consumption habits. It’s not always easy to admit your drinking habits have gone beyond social norms, but if they are habits that have developed over time, you might even have a hard time recognizing them. Maybe you used to do more “binge drinking,” and now it’s more consistent. That might make you think there isn’t a problem, but more frequent drinking can be just as problematic as binging large quantities of alcohol.
With that, some of the most common signs of problem drinking include
- Being unable to stop drinking when you should
- Trying to quit drinking and failing
- Blacking out from drinking
- Problems arising with friends and family because of your habits
- Engaging in potentially harmful activities
It’s an even bigger problem if you recognize these signs, know you’re struggling, and continue to drink anyway. That’s a sign that you can’t control your habits on your own, and you’ve gone beyond drinking socially.
The silver lining here is that recognizing these signs early on can help you to avoid full-blown alcohol addiction. Alcoholism doesn’t happen overnight. Rather, it occurs in stages. Problem drinking is one of the earliest of those stages, and one of the easiest to overcome before taking things further.
Moving Past Problem Drinking
If you continue to ignore the signs of problem drinking, it can eventually develop into something much more serious. Your negative habits will be harder to break, and it will start to feel like alcohol has complete control over your life.
The first sign that your drinking has become even more problematic is frequency.
Maybe you only used to drink on the weekends and now you find yourself indulging most nights of the week. Maybe you’re feeling especially lonely, bored, or stressed, and you want to numb or ease those feelings with a few extra drinks.
When most people use alcohol regularly, there is some kind of emotion attached. Social drinking is something done for fun or as a reason to share something with friends and family. Problem drinking is deeper than that, and as you start to depend on alcohol to cope with different situations in life, you’ll be at a greater risk of falling into alcoholism.
Not sure if you’re already dependent on alcohol? There are some common signs to look for. While alcohol dependency can look different for everyone, these telltale symptoms can make it clear there’s a bigger issue going on. Some of those signs include
- Irritability
- Difficulty sleeping
- Physical symptoms like sweating or tremors
Addiction is the final stage, and it’s difficult to ignore. When you’ve developed an alcohol addiction, you might have trouble thinking about anything else. Drinking is necessary to get through the day, and everything else in your life will take a back seat to the addiction. You might even find that you’re inconsolable until you’ve had a drink.
In addition to causing issues with your career, friendships, and romantic relationships, alcohol addiction can do long-term damage to your health, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control, men have higher rates of alcohol-related hospitalizations than women. Alcohol addiction increases the risk of everything from high blood pressure to certain types of cancer – including prostate cancer.
What Can You Do?
If you’re starting to see signs that your social drinking habits are going too far, it’s not too late to make positive changes.
You can curb your drinking by not keeping alcohol in your home, keeping a journal of your consumption habits, and choosing days to be alcohol-free. You should also pay attention to any warning signs in your social drinking habits. Do you have friends who make you feel pressured into drinking? Are they heading to the bar or club multiple nights a week? That might be okay for some people, but if you’re starting to struggle.
If your drinking habits have already started to escalate, it might be time to reach out for help before things get worse. There’s no shame in relying on a support group of friends and family to keep your drinking habits in check.
You can also join online groups or forums, or even talk to a therapist to uncover the root of your desire to drink.
When you stop drinking, your mind and body both benefit. Everything from weight loss to improved hydration can change the way you feel and curb your desire to drink more.
The best thing you can do is to pay attention to the signs of problem drinking, especially if you’ve been a social drinker for quite some time. Ask yourself why you’re really drinking, and if you’re indulging more than you used to for any specific reasons.
The good news is that problem drinking can be overcome – before it develops into a dependency. Keep these signs in mind, and don’t be afraid to reach out to your inner circle to find support and help. The people closest to you are often the ones that will hold you accountable if it becomes necessary.
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