April is Alcohol Awareness Month, which offers the perfect time to have open honest conversations about alcohol, break down stigma, and remind anyone who is struggling that hope, help, and healing is available and within reach. If you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol or concerned about a loved one and their drinking habits, we share 5 signs it’s time to seek help for Alcohol Use Disorder.
Table of Contents
What is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Before we delve into common signs of Alcohol Use Disorder, it’s important to understand what this disease truly is. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) can be described as “a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.”
Knowing the definition of Alcohol Use Disorder is only the starting point. Once we have a name for something we might be struggling with, it allows us to begin our journey in recovering from the disease of addiction. Recognizing common signs in your own life or someone you love is where the definition of AUD meets actionable steps to overcoming it. If any of these resonate with you, know that the earlier you take the first step toward seeking support, the sooner you will be on your path to your own victory in recovery.
Cutting Back or Quitting Completely Feels Impossible
If you’ve ever made an honest attempt at abstaining from alcohol by setting your own rules and regulations without support, only to be met with breaking those rules time and time again, you are not alone. Often, when individuals start rethinking their drinking habits, they might start off by “only drinking on the weekends” or “only having 2 drinks at dinner”. While this might last for a while, many individuals find that cutting back or quitting completely feels impossible and will resort to old habits.
We know that alcohol impacts brain functioning, and alcohol use disorder changes the brain’s reward chemistry. This often makes it difficult to moderate on our own without seeking professional support. When we are struggling with the disease of addiction, willpower alone can’t sustain us forward. Having a strong support system that can help you stay accountable or medical professionals who can help you navigate cravings can greatly increase the odds of long-term sobriety. If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of quitting and starting over, you are not alone, and we are here to help.
You Feel Like You Need to Drink More to Feel the Same Effect
Tolerance is one of the clearest physiological signs of alcohol use disorder. When your body requires more alcohol to produce the same feeling it once did with less, there is a biological shift happening within your body, and it often happens without you even realizing it in the beginning.
Most people don’t realize how much their drinking habits have shifted until they either struggle to stop on their own or someone points it out to them.
Your Health, Work, or Relationships are Suffering
Alcohol doesn’t just affect one area of your life; it actually impacts your day-to-day responsibilities, relationships with loved ones, and cognitive thinking. A common sign of alcohol use disorder is recognizing how negatively alcohol is affecting your sleep patterns, work responsibilities, partnerships, and friendships. If you feel like your work is suffering, your physical health is deteriorating, or you’re feeling distant from those around you, it’s time you stop and ask yourself if alcohol is playing a bigger role in your life than you’d like to admit.
Alcohol Becomes a Go-To When Uncomfortable Feelings Arise
We all experience hardships in life – whether it’s the loss of a loved one, challenges at work, or working through problems at home. Because of these experiences, stress, anxiety, loneliness, grief, and depression are all common feelings associated with them. And for many, alcohol becomes a go-to when uncomfortable feelings arise. Many individuals look to alcohol to “take the pain away” or “take the edge off”. However, the problem is that drinking doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t change our situation or take the pain away. Often, the opposite is true. Trying to drink your problems away only delays the pain and often creates more problems and discomfort.
You Feel Shame, Secrecy, or Fear Around Your Drinking
Do you feel like you have to hide how much you’ve had to drink? Or feel sick with shame and guilt the morning after one too many drinks? These experiences are a lot more common than individuals like to admit. In fact, many people carry this shame and secrecy quietly for years, convinced that they’re the only ones who feel this way. They feel as if they can’t openly talk about their struggles because it might damage their reputation, or that seeking help will make people judge them. However, there are two things to be true about this feeling: shame thrives in silence, and it doesn’t have to. We can find healing from addiction, and we can find it together.
Statistics Don’t Have to Define Us
It’s true that“Researchers estimate that each year there are more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths, making alcohol a leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In addition, more than 200 disease and injury-related conditions are associated with alcohol misuse.”
Although this statistic may be alarming, it doesn’t have to always be this way. Through awareness, prevention, and honest conversations, we can rewrite those statistics and replace them with stories of hope and second chances – both for the individuals and their families.
If These 5 Signs of Alcohol Use Disorder Have You Second-Guessing Your Relationship with Alcohol, Let Us Help You Discover a New Life in Recovery
Sobriety isn’t a life of missing out on joy; it’s a life of showing up fully, honestly, and with a deeper appreciation for the world around us. Alcohol can never give us meaning, purpose, community, or authentic human connection. However, recovery can give you all those things and more. Recovery is a true discovery of oneself, a journey back to who you were before alcohol took up so much space in your life. And we are here to help you discover that great joy.
If you or a loved one is in need of overcoming Alcohol Use Disorder, Positive Recovery Centers offers a comprehensive menu of treatment options – ranging from Medical Detox to Residential Treatment to Sober Living – that give us the ability to meet clients where they are and combat addiction at every stage.
If you’d like to start your journey towards a new life in healing and freedom, we invite you to call us at 877-476-2743 today! Not ready to make a decision but want to keep your options open? You can also visit our website to learn more about your treatment options.
Looking for More?
This YouTube playlist was put together specifically for alcohol awareness, prevention, education, and honest conversations. From understanding how alcohol affects your body and mind, to real stories of recovery, and what it actually takes to get there, each short video is designed ot inform, encourage, and remind you that you are not alone and there are resources out there. Watch through this playlist, you might find exactly what you or someone you love needs to hear today!