21 Signs Somebody May Be An Alcoholic

When you look at the statistics regarding alcohol in the USA, the numbers are pretty scary. For example, almost 90,000 people die each year because of alcohol-related problems.

And with alcohol affecting many areas of the body (e.g. brain, heart, immune system, liver, mouth, and pancreas), you’d think that spotting an alcoholic should be easy.

The problem is, alcoholics can become adept at disguising their drinking habit, so I’ve written this article to help you spot the more common signs that somebody you know has a drinking problem.

Also, because the progression can be gradual (e.g. from occasional binge drinking sessions, to “needing” a drink every day, where it’s no longer a reward but a crutch, to full-blown alcohol dependency), then you may not see any sudden changes.

Avoiding Alcohol-Free Situations

Alcoholics may refuse to attend events or to go places where alcohol is not available, partly because they are afraid of suffering withdrawal symptoms.

So if somebody only ever wants to go to places where alcohol is served, they may have a problem.

Coping Mechanism

When somebody constantly uses alcohol as a way of dealing with their emotions (which can be anywhere from happiness to stress), and uses phrases such as “I need a drink”, then this can be another sign they are alcoholic.

Denial

Alcoholics will refuse to accept that they have a problem and can stop at any time.

Drinking Whatever The Occasion

Alcoholics will find an excuse to have a drink, even on occasions when it is not the norm and when the other people present are not drinking.

Family History

Although having an alcoholic parent doesn’t guarantee you will become one too, studies do show that this increases your chances of being an alcoholic yourself.

Finding Money For Alcohol

Even when they say they don’t have enough money (e.g. to pay bills or go out), they always seem to find enough to buy their drinks.

Forgetfulness

While it’s not unusual to be unable to remember things when you are drunk, an alcoholic may struggle to recall information even when they are sober.

Health Problems

Alcoholism can either cause or exacerbate many physical and/or mental health problems, including:

• Anemia
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cirrhosis
• Dementia
• Depression
• Gout
• High blood pressure
• Infectious diseases
• Insomnia
• Nerve damage
• Pancreatitis
• Seizures

High Tolerance

The more you drink, the greater the tolerance you develop for alcohol.

This has been known about for centuries, and there is even a story about King Mithridates VI of Pontus, who was so scared that his enemies might try to poison him that he began ingesting tiny amounts of many different poisons in an attempt to build up immunity to them.

Needless to say, you should not try this yourself, partly because this only works with some poisons, but not all of them, and partly because it can be incredibly dangerous!

But back to alcohol, if somebody seems to be able to carry on drinking, with no effect (either at the time or the morning after, when most people would wake up with a hangover), after your other friends have had to stop, then this may be one sign of alcoholism.

And they may do this because, like other drug users, they need more and more to obtain the same level of enjoyment (or “high”, if you want to call it that).

Inability To Stop Drinking

By this, I mean that somebody may say they’re not going to have a drink today (or this evening), but then change their mind when the time comes.

Irritability

This especially applies when they do not have an alcoholic drink to hand.

Isolation

Somebody who is an alcoholic (or abuses other substances) may become less sociable, shunning company, both at home and work.

They may also fail to turn up to work, appointments, etc. either because they are drunk and don’t want others to see them like that, or because they are ashamed of their inability to stop drinking to excess.

Legal Trouble

Many people with alcohol problems may have had run-ins with the law, such as DUIs or drunk and disorderly charges.

Loss Of Appetite

Alcoholics often tend to eat much less than other people, not just occasionally, but on an almost permanent basis.

Lying

Alcoholics will often lie to cover up their drinking habits.

Mood Swings

Changes of mood for no other apparent reason, even when they’re sober, can be another sign that somebody is an alcoholic.

Personality Changes

In a similar way to an alcoholic’s mood changing suddenly and for no apparent reason, their entire personality can also appear to alter at a moment’s notice.

Prioritising Alcohol

When somebody continues drinking even though it’s clear to them (and others) that it’s adversely affecting their relationship(s) or their work, then it’s likely they have an alcohol problem.

Promiscuous Drinking

By this, I mean somebody who will pretty much drink any type of alcohol, even if they previously said they wouldn’t drink it if it were the last alcohol on earth.

I have seen this first hand (and talk about it, as well as many other topics, in a book I wrote – see below). Two of my favourite tipples, back in the days before I went teetotal, were Guinness and single malt whiskey (Laphroaig, being my favourite), and these were both drinks that my first wife said she disliked intensely and would never drink.

Well, when her occasional drink turned into full-on alcoholism, guess what – she drank those, and anything else she could lay her hands on.

Secret Stashes

Alcoholics may hide their drinks around the house (or in the car, or at the office), so they can always have a drink without people knowing.

For example, my first wife would take what looked like a bottle of soda water to work (or some social events), except the contents had largely been replaced with white wine.

On the other hand, finding a hidden supply of alcohol might mean the opposite – I took to hiding my bottle of single malt whiskey to prevent my first wife from finding and drinking all of it in one massive binge.

Taking Unnecessary Risks

The most obvious danger is, of course, driving while drunk, because this not only puts themselves in harm’s way, but other people too (e.g. passengers, pedestrians).

Other risky behaviours might include getting into fights, having unprotected sex, operating machinery, and swimming.

Conclusion

I recognize most, if not all, of these symptoms, from my first marriage, which ended when I divorced my wife because of her alcoholism.

I even wrote a short book, “Life With An Alcoholic Wife”, about this experience, which was based on a brain-dump I did on vacation near the end of the marriage (this was one of the ten key things that helped me recover from my depression which was triggered by her drinking).

Seeing somebody you care for and love descend into alcoholism is heartbreaking, but eventually, it just became too much for me (I was seriously suicidal for a long time), which is why I had to walk out, for my own health and sanity.

The problem is, you cannot force somebody to change unless they want to – and my first wife apparently didn’t.

Anyway, as with most of these “list of symptoms” articles, the more of those signs you recognize, the more likely it is that the person has an alcohol problem.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Controlling Alcohol
2. Life With An Alcoholic Wife