Am I an Alcoholic? Signs and Symptoms to Watch For

Instead of focusing on how much you drink per night, think about why and how it affects your life. Plenty of people enjoy multiple drinks in a night but don't experience adverse effects at work or with their relationships. Because everyone reacts to alcohol differently, it's challenging to define alcoholism based on a number of drinks have in a single night. 

Potentially Misleading CDC Recommendations

You may have come across the CDC's recommendations regarding moderate drinking. They suggest that women drink just one alcoholic beverage per day, and men no more two. But using these numbers to evaluate your drinking habits can be misleading. 

The CDC only suggests following these recommendations to reduce the risk of health problems like high blood pressure, risky behavior, and some cancers. They make no claims regarding these per-day guidelines in relation to alcohol addiction. 

More Accurate Signs of an Alcohol Addiction

To understand whether you might have an addiction to alcohol, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you tend to drink more than you planned?
• Do you drink because you have no other way to relax, fall asleep, or deal with stress?
• Do you find it hard to scale back your alcohol consumption? 
• What would happen if you took a break from drinking all together?

If the last question, in particular, causes a sense of panic or anxiety, it is probably time to reevaluate your drinking habits. 

Let's Talk About Why You Drink

Ready to get to the root of why you drink? Trust Confidant to guide you. Several strategies exist to help you scale back to a rate that you're comfortable with, including a medication called Naltrexone or behavioral therapy. Either way, education is the first step!