Admitting to an alcohol problem remains the first and toughest step to overcoming alcoholism, according to the Mental Health Sanctuary. Any time people question their drinking it may indicate alcoholism. Admitting to three or more warning signs reveals some stage of alcoholism. Although addiction causes enormous emotional and physical difficulties over time, people can beat alcoholism by recognizing and admitting problems at any stage. These tips can prevent further hardships for alcoholics.
Early Signs
Drinking patterns tell a lot about the beginning phase of alcoholism. Occasionally drinking heavily after a disappointment, argument or while under pressure may suggest the first signs of an alcohol problem. Being able to handle more liquor than when you first started drinking, being in a hurry to get your first drink or trying to sneak a few extra drinks when around others can signal problems. Developing a tolerance to alcohol increases the need for more alcohol to feel the effects, MayoClinic.com notes. Other early signs include feeling uncomfortable when alcohol is not available, being unable to remember some of the things that occurred while drinking the night before or starting to feel guilty about drinking, according to the National Council on Alcoholism.
Middle Stage Signs
As alcoholism strongly sets in, alcoholic-prone people may experience memory blackouts more frequently after drinking or they may regret things they have said or done while drinking. They want to drink more after the people around them have stopped and become aggravated when friends or family mention their drinking. They soon try to avoid friends or family while drinking and find reasons to drink more heavily. Alcoholics may attempt to control their drinking by following different routines and switching brands of alcohol. They may even change jobs or move. Losing friends because of drinking, problems with relatives or friends and getting into physical fights with people indicate alcoholism. Financial or work problems may continue. Alcoholics increasingly find they fail to keep promises to control drinking. Drinking continues to take over and alcoholics may eat very little or irregularly because of drinking. The morning shakes may lead them to have a drink to calm their nerves.
Advanced Stage Warnings
In the final stages, alcoholics find they cannot drink as much as they once did before experiencing the effects of drinking. They can drink or stay drunk for days at a time. Depression may set in and many alcoholics start to question whether life is worth living. After drinking heavily, they may hear or see things that are not there or they can become terribly frightened. Being hospitalized or suffering illness because of drinking, asking people for help to stop drinking or being arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol are signs of alcoholism, according to the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test.
