Many people who struggle with alcohol don’t even know they have a problem. When they do know, the problem is often quite advanced. However, knowing the signs of alcoholism can help in identifying the issue in yourself or your loved one. Understanding the signs of alcohol abuse makes finding treatment that much easier. Santé Center for Healing can help you recognize the alcohol signs of abuse and get the necessary alcohol detox treatment.
Recklessness Leading to Undesirable Consequences
One of the significant signs of alcohol abuse is when drinking becomes the source of negative consequences. After prolonged use of alcohol, alcohol abuse may severely lower your inhibitions and slow down your response time to external stimuli. In turn, this impediment affects your ability to make decisions, causing you to behave more recklessly than before.
Some of the reckless behaviors and consequences to take note of include:
- Increase in problems with authorities
- Overspending
- Drinking more than planned
- Lack of self-restraint toward violence and arguments
- Increased emotional responses to normal situations
- Deteriorating personal and professional relationships
Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms
Does going for a day without drinking alcohol make you feel physically ill? Drinking alcohol to alleviate or minimize the withdrawal symptoms is a huge red flag that something is wrong.
Over time, alcohol abuse changes the physiological and chemical structure of the brain, and you may need medication-assisted treatment to get better. When this happens, the central nervous system cannot easily adapt to the lack of alcohol. As a result, you may experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms ranging from mild anxiety and fatigue to nausea.
Withdrawal is one of the most common addiction signs you may develop due to prolonged periods of heavy drinking requiring alcohol detox. Here are some of the withdrawal symptoms to be aware of:
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- An increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Tremors
Broken Relationships
No one wants to lose the love and trust of their loved ones. However, alcohol use disorder can quickly wreak havoc on your relationship. This reaction might be difficult to see if you are the one dealing with the problem. However, there are a few signs that may serve as red flags. For instance, if alcohol becomes more important than your relationship, it is a strong indication that you are suffering from alcohol use disorder. Take note of signs such as:
- Forgetting important dates because of drinking
- Having to cancel dates because of a hangover
- Being an aggressive and violent person toward your loved one when you drink
- Failing to do some things for your loved one in favor of drinking
Tolerance and Dependence
If you notice that you have developed a pronounced attachment to alcohol to the extent that it takes over your routine, you may be developing alcoholism. You may be aware of the adverse effects drinking has on you at this stage, but you have no control over your alcohol consumption. You may also have developed a tolerance for drinking. In other words, you have to drink larger quantities to get the original effects of alcohol consumption.
Hiding Your Drinking
If your friends or family members start getting concerned about your drinking, you may begin hiding your drinking habit. Denial is a common thing for people struggling with alcoholism to make their drinking issue seem less problematic. While hiding alcohol or drinking secretly may not look like a big deal, it is a serious issue that may make addiction to develop easily. You may be in denial of your drinking if you:
- Drink alone or in secret: if you’re drinking alone, you’ve shed any pretext that you’re just “social drinking” to fit in.
- Lie about the last time you drank on a regular basis: at what point do you begin to believe your own lies so that you don’t have to face a difficult truth?
- Lie about how much alcohol you drink in one session: at one point, maybe you bragged about how much you drank. Now, you’re trying to minimize how much you drink to avoid judgment from others.
- Hide empty alcohol bottles so nobody can see them: it’s seems like a stereotype but it does happen.
Treat the Signs of Alcohol Abuse at Santé Center for Healing
Signs of alcohol abuse can be hard to identify. However, if you notice alcohol addiction signs in yourself or your loved one, you should consider seeking an alcohol abuse treatment program at the Santé Center for Healing.
Whether you are struggling with drug and substance addiction or co-occurring mental health issues, we offer holistic care to meet all the needs of an individual. Let us walk together on the path to your long term recovery. If you discover any signs of alcohol abuse, contact our experts at 866.238.3154 to learn more about our evidence-based treatment options.
