While drinking alcohol in moderation is generally not harmful, excessive drinking can lead to an addiction to this legal yet habit forming drug. Nearly 17.6 million people in the U.S. suffer from alcohol addiction, according to the National Institutes of Health. Recognizing alcohol addiction is a process that can be difficult to tackle--yet one that can be greatly aided by knowing what to look for.
Step 1
Ask family members of the person whose drinking habit you think may be an addiction about any family history of problems with alcohol. Pay close attention to parents with alcohol problems--the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that alcoholism in parents is a major risk factor for their son or daughter.
Step 2
Keep track of how often the person you think may have an alcohol addiction drinks alcohol--one sign of alcoholism is the inability to limit the amount of alcohol consumed, says the MayoClinic.com. It may prove helpful to use a small calendar--preferably one that can be kept in your pocket for easy access--to record each drink the person has.
Step 3
Identify patterns in how the person drinks alcohol, keeping an eye out for clues such as loss of control, mood changes and blackouts when drinking. Keep an eye out for hidden stashes of alcohol in unlikely places around the house.
Step 4
Search for signs of alcohol withdrawal--the result of abruptly ceasing drinking--in the person about whom you are concerned. According to the MayoClinic.com, common symptoms of withdrawal from an alcohol addiction include nausea, sweating and shaking. Also, observe the person's behavior when he is not drinking--signs such as irritability and craving alcohol strongly indicate that an addiction to alcohol is present.
Step 5
Open your datebook and see if the person has missed any work, appointments, or other such engagements. You'll probably remember if these have affected you, but checking the details is crucial, since alcohol addiction can lead not only to a person making such commitments while intoxicated and not remembering them, but failing to meet them due to drinking binges and hangovers.
Tips and Warnings
- Call or attend meetings of a nonprofit group such as Al-Anon (see Resource section), designed to provide support to friends and family members of persons with alcohol addiction.
- Use discretion when confronting someone about a potential alcohol addiction--it is best to do so privately or in the company of loved ones, to avoid a potentially humiliating situation for the alcoholic.
Things You'll Need
- Family medical history
- Physician
- Pocket-sized calendar
- Family member or friend
