How Do You Know If You Are Drinking Too Much?

How do you know if you are drinking too much? How do you know if you need to seek treatment for an alcohol problem? Here are some signs to consider if you think you might be consuming too much alcohol.

You set limits for your alcohol consumption, but you cannot stick to them. You tell yourself you are going to go to dinner and have a drink or maybe two, but you realize you have not even ordered dessert and you have already had four drinks. If this example sounds familiar to you, and you often end up being surprised that you were not able to stick to your limit, you may have a drinking problem. Alcoholism is a slowly progressing issue. Like many other diseases, alcoholism gradually develops over time. You might go from one drink at dinner, and then move to two. Two turns into four, and that number just keeps growing without your really even noticing. It may be time to get honest with yourself and look into how often you are hitting the bottle. One way to keep up with how much alcohol you consume is to keep a journal of the amount of alcohol you consume so you can clearly see how much alcohol you are taking in each time. This idea will make it easier to see if you drinking habits are what you truly think they are or if it may be worse than you think. It is also helpful to decide why you want to cut back in order to gain motivation to consume less alcohol. Maybe it would be beneficial to leave your credit card at home and only carry enough cash to buy simply the amount of alcohol you predetermine you will have each time. Come up with a way to follow through with your limits, and if you cannot do so, it might be time to seek help with your alcohol use. Evaluation your boozing habits is never easy, but in the end, it is worth it.

Your plans are determined by your drinking habits. Your thoughts are absorbed with your next alcohol intake. You wake up, and while you are getting ready for work all you can think about is leaving work and going to the bar to get your next cocktail. Another thing to consider is do you sacrifice other social activities in order to drink alcohol? Drinking alcohol should not be something that dominates your thought process. If it is, then you should consider talking to someone about your alcohol intake.

You consume alcohol to deal with your emotions. Drinking because you are stressed will only make the problem worse. Alcohol is a depressant, so boozing will only increase your emotional state in the long run, instead of decreasing it. Not to mention, it only provides temporary relief. Using alcohol for stress reduction is a vicious cycle that will eventually lead to alcohol dependence. If this reality is something you can relate to, you should seek professional help to assess your level of alcohol dependence.

Your friends make comments about how much you drink. If your friends have begun to suggest they are worried about you and your boozing habits, you may have an alcohol addiction. Perhaps your friends are even asking you to cut back on the amount of alcohol you consume. Maybe alcohol has become more important to you than your friends. If these ideas are happening in your life, it may be worth considering looking into whether or not you have a problem with alcohol.

You have become concerned with how much you drink. You may be concerned with the complications your alcohol consumption has caused you. Maybe you have begun to notice there are more consequences to your alcohol consumption than there are positives outcomes. You may be contemplating stopping, but you do not know how to do so. Find out the signs of alcohol abuse and determine if you fall under this category or not. If you believe you have an alcohol addiction, contact a professional to help you assess whether or not you have an alcohol abuse issue.

If you are disturbed by your drinking habits, monitor them and cut back before your alcohol consumption gets out of your control. You can even keep up with how much you ingest to see if you are taking in too much. Talk with a healthcare professional who can provide an accurate assessment of your alcohol intake.