Am I an alcoholic?

It's a question that most people that enjoy a drink or two must ask themselves once every so often.

Personally I enjoy meeting friends in bars or pubs for a drink. There have been occasions where I've thought about the amount of alcohol I've consumed or about my behaviour the night before.

This led me to do some research on alcohol and its effects and inspired me to write this short article for steemit.

I think there's a fine line between consuming alcohol for enjoyment or abusing / being dependent on it. Everyone has a different opinion and a different tolerance.

If alcohol starts to control your life in any way then there's a chance that you are becoming either an abuser or a depender.

Allow me to explain:

For me, there's two distinct types of alcoholism: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence

Alcohol Abuse

Let's deal with alcohol abuse first of all. Someone who abuses alcohol tends to drink, in the short term, to a point where they are either harming their body, their relationships or their ability to function normally in the workplace or socially.

Binge Drinking is a more common term for alcohol abuse. Someone who consumes more than five alcoholic drinks in one session is defined as a binge drinker.

There are short-term and long-term risks associated with alcohol abuse.

Short term risks include; unprotected sex, driving whilst impaired, violence and other socially unacceptable behaviour.

Long term risks are health issues (both physical and mental), financial problems and social rejection due to unpredictable behaviour.

According to some surveys, the heaviest drinkers are the United Kingdom's adolescents. It's not clear why this is the case but contributing factors are believed to be the cheap price of alcohol and the ease it can be obtained. The law in the U.K. says you have to be 18 to purchase alcohol but many retailers turn a blind eye to this in favour of making a sale.

Key indicators of alcohol abuse

• Performing tasks such as driving whilst under the influence of alcohol
• Memory loss after consumption of alcohol
• Lack of restful sleep
• Consumption interferes with day-to-day life due to being ill / hungover / incapable
• Anti-social behaviour
• Alcohol is still consumed despite it having the potential to cause further health issues

Alcohol abuse can lead on to alcohol dependency

Alcohol Dependency

Alcohol dependence is a physical and/or psychological dependence on alcohol. Suffers of alcohol dependence are more commonly thought of as "alcoholics"

An alcohol dependent person thinks they cannot function without consuming alcohol in some form.

There are different degrees of alcohol dependency.

In its milder form, a sufferer may just drink habitually to get to sleep of an evening or just unwind after a hard day's work. The thought of not having that drink or drinks makes them anxious and may result in slightly erratic behaviour such as being irritable or absent-minded.

In its more severe form, people who are heavily dependent on alcohol tend to consume large amounts of alcohol over prolonged periods and build up a tolerance to the effects.

To counteract the building up of a tolerance to the effects, stronger and stronger alcoholic beverages are consumed. It may be stronger beer or a switch from beer to spirits. An alcoholic will seek out anything that keeps them in their state of intoxication.

Sufferers of alcohol dependence normally express a desire to break their "habit" but are often unsuccessful due to lack of support or will power. They think that they won't be able to function correctly without consuming alcohol so any attempts to stop are likely to fail.

Key indicators for a dependency on alcohol include:

• Arranging social events solely around the consumption of alcohol
• Lying about the amount consumed
• Reliance on alcohol "to get through the day"
• Drinking alcohol on your own
• Needs more / stronger drinks to get the same "buzz"
• A lot of time is spent recovering from the effects of alcohol and may experience sweats or shakes
• Carries on drinking despite the harm to family or work life
• Lack of control over the amount consumed

Is this you? Are you worried?

I'll be honest, I think I suffer from alcohol abuse from time to time. I've been out and not been able to remember parts of the night before. I've spent days recovering from a "big night out".

After doing this research, my awareness has been raised around this and I'm going to ensure that these episodes don't get more frequent.

If after reading this article you feel as though you may suffer from alcohol abuse or a dependency then there are a number of ways to get help / treatment.

The first step on the road to recovery is actually admitting that you have a problem and that you want to do something about it. You have to realise that this will be a lifelong commitment and may not be easy at times. You may have to deal with very difficult times without being able to rely on alcohol to get you through.

If you do want help then you should contact your local doctor or health care professional. They will be able to discuss your issues and recommend a suitable plan or course of treatment.

If you do decide to get treatment, and this article helped you in some way then I wish you all the best.

If you've suffered from the effects of alcohol and want to share your story then feel free to leave something in the comments below. You may inspire others...