Am I An Alcoholic? Do I Have A Drinking Problem?

One of the biggest questions I get is people questioning whether or not they are an alcoholic. Most often they internalize the question and start a google search. The question, Am I An Alcoholic or Do I Have A Drinking Problem seems to come up a lot in my line of work. The quick answer is this…if you are reading this and asking the question if you are an alcoholic or not there is most likely a problem with your drinking. I don’t think anyone has ever questioned whether they drink too much water or not, right? Truth is, you didn’t google search whether you drink too much water. I don’t think anybody does that. So the answer to this problem has a lot to do with what you are google searching on the internet about your drinking.

What you wouldn’t know is that I didn’t think I was your ‘traditional’ alcoholic either. I resisted the idea because I never drank in a bar and I didn’t drink and drive. What I did do was drink myself to bed every night. I lost track of what a single drink was because my cup kept getting bigger and bigger. I also gauged myself against other people thinking I wasn’t as bad as ‘them’. I believe just about all of us know someone who we think might have a “drinking problem”. You may even know an alcoholic or someone who you would classify as one. But the hardest part is looking at ourselves isn’t it?

The Truth Is You Didn’t Search “I Drink Too Much Water” …. You Searched, Am I An Alcoholic or Do I Have a Drinking Problem To Get Here

What comes to your mind when think of that word…ALCOHOLIC… the homeless person living on the street in the doorway with a bottle in a brown paper bag? the guy standing at the stop light holding up the sign “will work for food”? The person in the dirty trench coat pushing the shopping cart picking up cans so they can get the next drink? You know… the kind of people you would ‘never’ associate with. Or do you? Maybe you already have? It might be the store owner, the banker, and the guy at your country club, or the plumber, the truck driver, the teacher, or even the leader of the church group, who knows!
Back when I was drinking you probably wouldn’t have been able to tell I was “one of those people”. I went to work every day and did my job. I had a family and owned a home. From the outside you would have never guessed my struggle with drinking or that I was “one of those people”.

A drinking problem will mean something different to everyone; there is no one description of a “problem drinker”. You may have even asked yourself the question. Am I an Alcoholic? However there is some agreement in the addiction field of the behaviors or traits of a problem drinker are.

Am I An Alcoholic Quiz

Sometimes people want a quiz to tell them if they have a drinking problem. Here is a quick quiz that can help you decide if you have a drinking problem.

You regularly drink more than you intend to?
Have missed work or some function because of your drinking?
Alcohol causes trouble at home.
You drink because you have problems, thinking it helps deal with the stress.
You drink to fall asleep or stay asleep
You have tried to quit but failed. Or you have taken the ’30 day’ quit challenge.
You lie about drinking.

And finally….you are reading a blog like this titled Am I An Alcoholic or Do I have a Drinking Problem

RESULTS: If you answer YES to any of them, it might be time to really evaluate things.

If you answered yes to any of these questions maybe it’s time to think about a life style change. After all you wouldn’t want to be “one of those people” would you? I know, I know, pride gets in the way. But just like the cartoon above you need to know which hand to open up first to get the help you need.

I was able to stop my self-destruction 25 plus years ago after losing many of the things that were important to me (which is a different blog altogether). This was at a time when all the different types of support opportunities didn’t really exist or at least I didn’t know about them. Yes AA was around, I attended for a while and it helped some. Having a support network along the way is one of the keys to success. I wish there would have been some of the alternative support methods back then that are available today. I am super stoked to be helping people gain sobriety. I am more excited that I can incorporate nutrition, nutrients, amino acids and coaching into the mix. This creates greater success than therapy alone.

I have been free from alcohol for quite a while. I would like to share my secret to success with you here! Click on this link and you can learn my secret FREE!

We know that having an addiction is not a sign of weakness, a character flaw, or a failure. In fact if you answered yes to the questions and decide you want to make a change, it shows strength, determination and courage. Feel free to give me a call or send and email. This might just be the change you need.