Alcohol might be a legal and socially acceptable substance, but it can still wreak havoc on people’s lives. Alcohol addiction is a serious concern, and the best way to fight back against it is with professional help. Before you can get help, however, you’ll need to identify alcoholism. Here are three alcoholic symptoms that can help you spot and diagnose a person struggling with alcoholism.
1. Increase in Alcohol Consumption
One of the more obvious alcoholic symptoms is an increase in the total consumption of alcohol. Chronic alcohol abuse means that tolerance for the substance will begin to change. This can happen quickly and is often a sign of, or a precursor to, the development of an alcohol addiction.
This change in tolerance means that you need more and more alcohol to feel the same effects as before. If you used to drink one bottle of wine a night, that might increase to two bottles over a few months. If you notice that someone is regularly drinking growing amounts of alcohol, it could point to a problem.
2. Inability to Cut Back or Set Limits
Another symptom of alcoholism is the inability to reduce consumption. A person might have great intentions to keep drinking to a minimum, but it becomes almost impossible to achieve even minor goals.
If someone is able to cut back on alcohol consumption, or if they skip a day of drinking, they might notice some unpleasant side effects. These are signs of withdrawal, and they can range from mildly uncomfortable to severe. If a person experiences these signs of withdrawal from cutting back or skipping a day of drinking, then addiction is very, very likely.
3. Drinking Alcohol Despite Negative Consequences
If an action causes negative consequences, then the logical, rational thing to do would be to stop that action. With addiction, however, that’s far easier said than done. In fact, inability to stop despite consequences is one of the clearest signs of addiction. If drinking alcohol leads to negative consequences, but the drinking continues, then the person is almost certainly addicted to alcohol.
There are countless examples of the negative consequences that alcohol can cause. Heavy drinkers might struggle with physical side effects, or they might face depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. People with alcohol addictions can lose custody of their children, go to jail for driving under the influence or go bankrupt.
How to Act Once You’ve Spotted Alcoholic Symptoms
Once alcoholic symptoms are visible, it’s time to get professional support. If you’re looking for alcohol treatment Portland residents need, then consider Crestview Recovery. Incoming clients can expect a wide range of treatment methods and approaches to sobriety, just some of which include:
Learning to spot these alcoholic symptoms could mean that your loved ones get help sooner. At Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon, clients can look forward to quality care and ongoing support. Call 866.262.0531 to take the next step to a lifetime of sobriety.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
