Hope for Alcohol Addiction: Knowing the Signs
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Here are the signs of alcoholism you need to know.
- Posted on Apr 20, 2018
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. According to the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol-related deaths are one of the most preventable causes of death, with nearly 100,000 people impacted a year. Still, there is hope: alcoholism is treatable and with support can be managed.
If you're wondering whether you or a loved one is dealing with alcoholism or alcohol abuse, here are just a few signs that the NIAAA offers to help you decide if you need help:
- Drinking alcohol even when it increases depression, anxiety or other health issues
- Drinking or the aftereffects of drinking impact your ability to work, sleep or go to school
- Drinking or the aftereffects of drinking impact your relationships with family and friends
- Drinking increases risky behaviors that cause you or others harm (driving while intoxicated, operating machinery, swimming or other illegal behavior)
- Trying to cut back or quit drinking doesn't work
- The effects of alcohol wearing off are nausea, sweating, shaking or other signs of withdrawal.
Only a doctor can diagnose alcoholism or alcohol abuse, but if any of these signs seem familiar, resources like NIAAA and Alcoholics Anonymous have been helping people get treatment for decades.
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If you don't have signs of alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the NIAAA recommends drinking in moderation (no more than 2 a day) or not at all, depending on your family's medical history and your own. Find more hope for addiction and recovery on Guideposts.org.
