Did you know that 26.45 percent of people 18 or older in the U.S. admitted to binge drinking or heavy alcohol use in 2018, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism? Having a glass of wine with dinner or a few beers with friends at the bar after work may seem harmless. Yet, in some cases, they can be signs of alcoholism. When do you or a loved one have a problem that requires care?
The Most Common Signs of Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a term commonly used, but not well understood. Alcohol use disorder, or alcoholism, occurs when a person has two or more symptoms of alcohol abuse listed here. A person who has more than four symptoms is likely to be facing a serious form of addiction that requires immediate help. Some of the signs of alcoholism include the following. If you’ve experienced these in the past year, you could be at risk:
- Have you found yourself drinking more or longer than you intended to?
- When you stopped drinking for a period of time, did you feel the effects of withdrawal, such as sweating, nausea, restlessness, or trouble sleeping?
- Have you tried to stop drinking and found you couldn’t do so?
- Have you had times when you wanted a drink so much so that you could not think of anything else?
- Do you spend time drinking often or feeling sick afterward?
- Do you need to drink more than you used to in order to get the same effect?
- Recognizing that drinking causes family problems, do you continue to do so anyway?
- Does drinking interfere with taking care of your home, job, family, friends, or school?
- Have you developed other health problems related to drinking or had a memory blackout?
- Do you engage in reckless behavior while drinking, such as driving, using machinery, having unsafe sex, or swimming?
- Have you given up on other things you like because alcohol has become more important to you?
If you have two or three of these signs of alcoholism, you may have a mild form of it. If you have more than four to five, that indicates a moderate level of alcohol use disorder. If you have six or more of these signs of alcoholism, you are at high risk for severe alcoholism.
You Have the Signs of Alcoholism – Now What?
At Atlantic Recovery Center, we encourage you to come in to see our team to learn more about our addiction treatment programs. In some situations, it is best to enroll in our residential treatment program as it can help you to work through the addiction with one-on-one help with our licensed counselors and therapists on an ongoing basis. You will find that the benefits of residential treatment are numerous, including:
- A safe environment
- No risk of use
- Place where you can express yourself openly
- Numerous types of evidence-based and holistic treatment options
- A comfortable, like-home setting
- People that are going through the same thing you are
- Supportive environment with true skill-building opportunities
Our team can also help you to manage other mental health disorders you may have at the same time, including co-occurring disorders like depression and anxiety. This may help you to see significant improvement in your long-term health.
For men and women with alcoholism, that first step is to seek out help if you have the signs of alcoholism. You will get to talk to our counselors openly about what’s happening and receive a formal diagnosis. If you are using alcohol often and thinking about it quite a bit, it is time to gain control over your life again.
Our team of licensed, experienced treatment professionals can help you with all aspects of alcohol use disorder. This includes providing access to partial hospitalization care and aftercare treatment programs that may help you further.
Getting Help for Your Loved One with Alcoholism
Recognizing the signs of alcoholism in a loved one is difficult, but it can mean that it’s time to get help. At Atlantic Recovery Center, our team will work closely with you and your loved one to get the right treatment for their needs. Contact us by calling 1-866-824-5193 today for resources and immediate help.