Are You an Alcoholic? How to Decide If You Have a Drinking Problem

Are you an alcoholic? The word alcoholic is a very loaded word. I tend not to use it too much and prefer instead to refer to myself as an ex-drunk. For me the word 'alcoholic' is tied up with a certain approach to dealing with addiction. I remember in my early twenties struggling with this word; I could see that drink was ruining my life, but did this really mean that I had some 'disease' called alcoholism. The problem was complicated because some people in the recovery movement would tell me I had 'alcohol dependency syndrome' while others said it was alcoholism. In the end of the day it does not matter what people call it; if life is being made difficult by alcohol then you really should do something about it. Don't allow fussiness with words kill you.

The question you should really be asking yourself

Don't worry so much about putting the alcoholic label on yourself if you don't want to; this is just a word. The main thing is coming to the conclusion that you have had enough of alcohol destroying your life. It doesn't even have to be causing that much damage; if you feel your life would be better without alcohol then just give it up. There is no requirement for an alcohol problem to become a big issue before you can get help. When people abuse alcohol it frequently leads to addiction, and this is a slippery slide to the bottom; it is best to stop before you descent too far.

Do you need to quit alcohol completely?

There is not such an easy question to answer. If your alcohol problem is anything like mine was then you will need to quit it completely. Other people may just be going through a part of their life where they are hitting it a bit hard. The problem is that when you start developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol it is very hard to turn back the clock. If drink is making your life a bit miserable, why would you want to go back to social drinking anyway? It is possible to have a fantastic life without it. If I could somehow be turned into a 'social drinker' tomorrow I wouldn't want it.

Conclusion

My advice to anyone wondering if they are an alcoholic is that they should stop drinking if it is negatively impacting their life. If they are finding it difficult to stop by themselves then they will need to get help.