When Does a Drinking Habit Become an Addiction?

Most of us like to have a drink. And most of us can keep it moderated. But if you’re worried about your drinking habit turning into a full addiction, here are some signs you should be looking out for.

Planning Your Life Around Drinking

When you are in the grips of addiction, you start to worry about where your next drink will come from. This behaviour shows that you can’t cope without alcohol. So, you need to find ways to plan your life around your need to drink. This, of course, is not a sustainable way to live. But it is a very common approach to life that is adopted by many people who eventually succumb to alcohol addiction. And it’s also the kind of behaviour that will start to attract attention to your drinking. People will ask why you’ve been taking time away from the office. And your friends and family members will wonder why you no longer socialise as much as you used to.

Drinking in the Morning

If you’re drinking in the morning, it suggests that your body needs something that it hasn’t been getting while you were asleep. And that something is alcohol. This is one of the most obvious signs that your body has become physically addicted to the alcohol that you have been consuming. The warning signs are even more clear if you’re not someone who has ever done this kind of thing in the past. Once you start to notice that urge to pick up the bottle not long after waking up, it shows that you can’t cope without the alcohol. And that’s known as an addiction.

Suffering Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Often, they can be quite subtle changes in your mood, so you might not even recognise them as withdrawal symptoms. It could be as simple as getting more easily irritated when you haven’t had a drink. Or you get more anxious and nervous. This is not a normal thing to happen simply because you haven’t had any alcohol in a while. Some people have nightmares, experience mood swings or lose their appetite. If you start to notice any of these things getting worse, you should get professional help at one of the top alcohol treatment centers.

Drinking Secretly

The fact that you start to drink in secret away is not a good sign. It shows that you are ashamed of what you’re doing and how much you are drinking. This is something that tends to happen away from anyone else. It could mean having a secret place where they can go to when they need a drink. And because this is something that nobody else is able to be aware of, there’s no one else who can help other than yourself. So, if you are aware that you are now instinctively drinking in secret, it might be time to rethink your relationship with alcohol. It’s a sign that you can no longer ignore your behaviour.