5 Signs Your Loved One May Be an Alcoholic

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that makes a person feel a need to consume alcohol. It is a chronic disease that has no known cure at this time, so it is a condition that will stick with a person for their entire life. Scientists have found that in some cases it is passed along genetically, but this does not mean that a child of an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, or that a child of non-alcoholics cannot become alcoholic. But with treatment it can be handled with counseling and for some people there are prescription drugs that can help beat the addiction as well.

Alcoholism is a tough thing to deal with. Many families have an alcoholic member without even knowing it. Many people who are struggling with alcoholism go out of their way on a daily basis in order to hide that fact. They keep it a secret, they tell no one, and they do absolutely everything that is within their power to keep friends, loved ones, employers and colleagues completely in the dark about the entire thing.

Unfortunately, if one of your loved ones is dealing with an alcohol addiction, then it is your duty to determine what is going on so that you can help them get the support and care that they need. Do you suspect that someone you care deeply for is currently struggling with alcoholism? Below is a list of 5 signs that you, your loved one, friend or co-worker may be an alcoholic and not know it.

First Sign You May be an Alcoholic

A loved one who is an alcoholic is probably neglecting certain duties. Someone who is focusing all of their time and attention on alcoholism is going to put off other duties and activities in favor of their alcoholism. Activities, people and things that were previously quite important to the person may suddenly seem significantly less so as they take a backseat to drinking. Someone who is struggling with alcoholism is going to place all their attention on drinking, because drinking is quickly going to become their sole source of happiness in what they perceive to be an otherwise bleak existence.

Second Sign You May be an Alcoholic

A loved one who is an alcoholic is probably lying or keeping secrets from you. Even when an alcoholic is particularly in denial about their problem, they are still going to be well aware of the fact that their alcoholism is causing other problems. As a result of this, most alcoholics are going to go very far out of their way to lie in order to cover up for their drinking problem.

As a few examples, someone who is an alcoholic is going to lie about how much alcohol they have had, they are going to lie about how often they drink, they are going to lie about where they are going or where they have been, and they may lie about other things so that loved ones do not find out about the truth. If you catch your loved one lying about how they are spending their time or how much they are drinking, then this is one of the most essential warning signs that something very bad is going on.

Third Sign You May be an Alcoholic

A loved one who is an alcoholic is probably getting into trouble. Some alcoholics never actually get into trouble with the law pertaining to their alcoholism, but many of them do. People who are drinking a lot, drinking excessively or drinking with reckless abandon are going to begin to do dumb things, and many of those dumb things are eventually going to involve the law.

For example, people who are suffering from alcoholism may have a tendency to drive drunk, to abuse a loved one or to participate in other types of criminal activities. They may also be getting into trouble at work or in school, they may lose their job, grades might slip and other trouble might arise as a result of the alcoholism.

Fourth Sign You May be an Alcoholic

A loved one who is an alcoholic is probably dealing with emotions all over the map, especially when it comes to depression. Depression is actually one of the most common problems that people face when they are dealing with alcoholism. This is because alcohol is a depressant, and has depressant capabilities.

This is also because people who are lying to their family members and other loved ones often actually do feel bad about it at some level. They may experience emotions that are all over the map, going from periods of mania to periods of depression. You may wonder what could be causing such severe mood swings without actually being able to identify a trigger.

Fifth Sign You May be an Alcoholic

A loved one who is an alcoholic is probably developing a tolerance to alcohol, which may be manifesting in surprising ways. Someone who was previous a light weight in terms of drinking ability may suddenly be able to drink you under the table.For example an alcoholic is going to build up a tolerance to the alcohol over a period of time. What this means is that in order for them to get drunk in the future, they are going to need to consume more and more of the alcohol.

Someone who could previously get drunk on one or two drinks may now require eight or nine to feel the same effect. This is what causes the addiction, because the body begins to crave more and more of the substance in order to get the same effect that it once experienced in the past. If it seems like your loved one can suddenly tolerate a lot more alcohol than they once could in the past, this may be an indicator that they are drinking a lot more than you knew.

There are a lot of different ways that you can become aware of someone’s alcoholism, especially when that someone is a loved one that you care about. If you notice that your loved one is changing their behavior or acting out in different ways, then it will be up to you to investigate a little. Are you noticing changes in his or her personality, the way they talk to you, how much or little they isolate themselves from others?

These are all definitely indicators that something is going on. The best thing that you can do for yourself in this situation is to hold an intervention, to talk to them frankly but with love about the problem, and to help them get the much needed help and support required in order to overcome the addiction. Dealing with an addiction to alcohol is a terrible affliction.

Your loved one probably has no one that they can talk to, and all they want to do is solve the problems and feel better. Now is your chance to let them know that you understand, that you want to help them get the support that they need, and that you are going to be with them for every step of the process. Help is out there for them, but they need someone there who is going to hold their hand and help them through the process, and that person can be you if you are willing to be there for them.