The line between recreational drinking and problematic drinking is not always so clear. Things like your cultural context, age, goals, and personality, can all affect whether a certain level of drinking is considered problematic. If you have ever wondered if your drinking is becoming a problem, chances are it would at least be worth exploring more to make sure you are taking an honest look at your alcohol use. Taking an honest look at the negative consequences of your alcohol use will help you be able to more fully assess your relationship with alcohol. Here are some common signs that might point to problematic drinking.

Lying to yourself or others

If you have ever lied to yourself or those close to you about your drinking, it may indicate that you are engaging in problematic drinking. Lying to yourself might mean telling yourself you are going to quit drinking tomorrow but never quitting, or severely underestimating the number of drinks you have in a week. Lying to others could involve lying about how much you are drinking, sneaking drinks when your friends or partner doesn’t know, or hiding the fact that you are drunk from those around you.

Lying about your drinking is a sign that there might be a problem because it means you are afraid of what would happen if you were honest with yourself or others about your alcohol use. If you feel like there is something you need to hide about your drinking then there are probably aspects of your alcohol use you are not fully comfortable with or are not being honest with yourself about.

Take an objective look at your alcohol use and see if there are any lies, small or large, you are telling yourself or others.

Your drinking starts to affect those around you

When your drinking becomes a problem, often the people around you will be able to tell before you can. Your friends, family, and partner all get an intimate and close look at your behaviors and they can usually tell when something is wrong. If your drinking has caused negative consequences for those around you, then there are problems with your alcohol use. Even if you haven’t experienced any problems with your drinking, it often will affect those around you before it affects you. If your friends or family have ever told you that something you did while drunk or anything relating to your drinking has affected them negatively, then it's probably time to start looking more deeply at your relationship with alcohol.

Think back to your interactions with your family where there was alcohol and ask yourself, has your drinking ever had a negative effect on your loved ones?

Drinking alone or in secret

Drinking alone could be a sign that your drinking has become a problem. Maybe you are drinking alone or in secret because you don’t want other people to know how much you drink or because you don’t want to deal with the consequences if people find out. If you prefer drinking alone because no one judges you, or because you don’t want to deal with other people’s opinions about your drinking, then it could mean others see a problem where you don’t.

If you consistently and intentionally drink alone or in secret, it could mean you need to re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol. 

Promising that you’ll stop

If you are constantly promising yourself or those around you that you will quit drinking, you probably are in a problematic cycle with alcohol. Promising that you will stop means that at some point you recognize the negative effects of your alcohol use and part of you wants to stop. If you are consistently making promises to stop this means that you are unable to actually stop even though part of you realizes you need to. If you find yourself making lots of promises around your drinking it could mean you are out of control and can’t stop even if you tried your hardest. This realization can be scary, but it also opens the door to the potential for getting support.

Have you ever promised yourself or someone else that you will quit or cut down? If so, perhaps it’s time to get more support for yourself and work on your relationship with alcohol.

Negative health effects

Alcohol can have all sorts of negative effects on your physical and mental health. If you have experienced negative health effects from drinking then it would be a good idea to take a deeper look at your alcohol use. Continuing to use despite negative health effects could mean you are unable to stop, or you might be downplaying the negative effects or continuing to drink despite them. Take an honest look at the negative effects alcohol has had and ask yourself if they are serious enough for you to adjust your drinking habits for.

Have you experienced;

• Hangovers

• Vomiting

• Blacking out

• Post alcohol anxiety

• Engaging in risky behaviors 

• Delirium tremens (the “shakes”, or alcohol withdrawals) 

• Alcohol poisoning

These negative effects and more could be a sign that you might have a problem and that its time to take your relationship to drinking more seriously.

Admitting to yourself that you have a problem is never easy, but it's also the first step to healing. If you identified with some of the above examples, it might be worth exploring further about your relationship with alcohol. Seeing the signs of problematic drinking is hard when you don’t think it's something you need to take that seriously, but catching the signs early gives you a much better chance of addressing problematic drinking before it gets out of control.

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Pacific Psychotherapy offers therapy in Santa Cruz and online anywhere in California. Reach out today for a free 20 minute consultation to get more information. I offer compassionate and effective drug and alcohol counseling to help you address your drinking and meet your drug and alcohol use goals.