May 11, 2015 | By Tim Powers

Are You a Real Alcoholic?

Alcoholism

real alcoholic

If you are reading this article right now, it is a question that is the elephant in the room and has been bouncing around in your head non-stop like white noise. You may be struggling with alcohol dependence or you are feeling you are slipping downward on the slippery slope towards addiction.

It isn’t pleasant to think about, that’s for sure. You are alternating between depression, anger, confusion, denial and every other emotion on the radio dial of your soul. Alcoholism is serious business and a lot of the unease that you feel centers on one BIG question…

Am I a real alcoholic?

It’s a Matter of Definition

In at attempt to find the answer to this million dollar question, you will seek out how professional define alcoholism or what conventional wisdom states about the disease of alcoholism. Let’s take a look at the definition of alcoholism as proposed by Mayo Clinic:

“… a chronic and often progressive disease that includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect (physical dependence), or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. If you have alcoholism, you can’t consistently predict how much you’ll drink, how long you’ll drink, or what consequences will occur from your drinking.”

Seems pretty cut and dried – preoccupation, continuing to drink despite the negative consequences, tolerance, withdrawal, not knowing how much you will drink in a given period. The writing is the on wall. Sometimes these definitions can get lost in translation, especially when we try to look at our own experiences.

If you are struggling with alcoholism, what are you seeing within yourself? This is where definitions get tricky.

Where Are You At?

When we think of alcoholics (or addicts for that matter) the scenes we paint in our minds can come right out of a Hollywood drama.

Lost jobs, lost families, bankruptcy, suicide attempts, living in a car, living in a shelter, living under a bridge, disease, emergency room visits.

Obviously, these outcomes can be the result of alcoholism and are the images that immediately come to mind. However, what if you don’t fall under those scenarios?

Yeah, you have been known to have a few and like to party it up a bit, who doesn’t, right? You can drink until the small hours, but you go to work everyday and are productive. You may be the picture perfect parent who packs lunch for the kids, drives the kids to soccer and goes to PTA meetings. You may have the nice split-level home with the manicured lawn, white picket fence and the dog to go with it.

Your reality and the image of the alcoholic don’t match up, so it is easy to overlook what may be slowly happening right under your nose. Truth is there are different types of alcoholism and alcoholic; the high-functioning alcoholic, the young adult alcoholic, the antisocial alcoholic and as well as the familiar chronic alcoholic.

In that conversation that you are having with yourself, you WILL HAVE to ask the tough questions.

Digging Deep – Are You An Alcoholic?

Are you a real alcoholic?

In order to answer that question for yourself, you need to go beyond the clinical definitions and established stereotypes and and have the proverbial talk with the person you see in the mirror. You need to ask yourself the following questions:

Are you starting to lose control of your drinking? Is “a couple” not enough anymore?

Are you acting out impulsively and recklessly when you drink?

Do you have certain hidden areas of your house where you keep alcohol or consume alcohol?

Do you always have a good explanation for why you drink?

Do you have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality change when you drink?

Are you starting to call in sick to work or missing family obligations more frequently because of your drinking?

Do you have periods where you black out or lose memory?

If you find yourself answering yes to these questions, alcoholism is a presence in your life. Even if you only and honestly answered yes to only a few of these questions, chances are good that as time goes on more answers will be added to the yes column.

Alcoholism is slow to develop and the signs that you are an alcoholic can be both readily apparent as well as subtle. If you are an alcoholic, it is necessary to seek alcohol treatment right away.

Are You An Alcoholic and Need Help? Call Sober Nation Today

Alcohol is a dangerous drug and if you find yourself losing your battle you need options that are readily available to help you do battle with the disease of alcoholism. As the largest addiction and treatment resource available in the world, the experienced staff at Sober Nation can help you find the treatment facility that is best suited for your unique needs.

By calling Sober Nation today, you will get immediate help in finding treatment and you have access to a wealth of innovative online tools and other recovery resources that can provide you the information you need to understand addiction in all forms. Most importantly, we will provide you the encouragement and support you need to overcome your addiction.

Don’t wait another day. Call us toll-free at 1-866-317-7050 and start your life of recovery today.

15 responses to “Are You a Real Alcoholic?

  • I said yes to many of those questions in the past. Yesterday was 11 months without a drink.

  • Trent Bailey

    9 years ago

    October 16th will be 5yrs sober for me and I so very much wish I had a resource as great as this one. Keep inspiring people.

  • I have been sober 11 and a half years, thank god! I have a son who is an alcoholic,but He is going on 3 weeks sober God bless his heart!

  • I said yes and i celebrated 25 years of continous sobriety on May 12. Thank GOD.

  • I am two years sober 3/8/2013. Reading this story reminded me of how I felt back then. It was the hardest thing that I have had to go through because it is not only physical withdrawals but all the emotional baggage that comes up. We learn to stuff all of those feelings with a beer. I know even now when put in a stressful situation I think of drinking a beer. But I have learned that I have to deal with the situation not ignore it. If the Lord brings you to it, he will bring you through it.

  • The Devil was at my bedside when I got sober. Growled at me . I knew then I was free. 3 years sober now….

  • I’ve been sober 25 + years. Looking back on my recovery, I’m a blessed man. Bankruptcy, death of both parents, the death of my wife of 35 years, with God, AA, and my sober friends, those struggles made me stronger in my program and I didn’t drink! My motto – ‘progress, not perfection’!

    Steve C.

  • Lisa McCormack

    9 years ago

    What a horrible disease…my husband battled it and lost 3 years ago when he died alone leaving behind myself and our 12 year old son… we miss him daily but not the chaos that was in our lives.

  • I said yes to all of these. One year sober without AA or NA My higher power and my recovery friends I would not be here today.

    • I just had my one year sober on January 19, 2016. Without AA or NA, as well. It took a seizure on January 18th, 2015 to wake me up that I was going to die if I continued drinking. Congratulations to you on your sobriety

  • My access to alcohol is well with in my budget for a single parent who works part-time… Moonshine… I drink more than I know I should.

  • 11 years clean and sober. I knew I drank differently early on but had a running dialog in my head (preoccupation) about all the reasons I drank and made it okay for so many years. Sobriety is a stunning way to live. So grateful to AA, the people around the tables and good sponsorship.

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