Alcohol abuse does not necessarily mean alcohol addiction. However, alcohol abuse could pave the path towards alcohol addiction. It is very important to differentiate between alcohol addiction, or alcoholism, and abuse of alcohol. Many people abuse alcohol in college or in their later years, but not all of them turn into full blown alcohol addicts. However, if you are able to find signs of alcohol addiction in yourself, or in your friends or family members, you will be able to take the necessary steps to prevent full blown addiction later.
Some of the common signs of alcohol addiction you should look out for:
- Drinking alone
- Drinking in the mornings
- Being late for work or school or playing truant because of drinking
- Drinking while driving
- Violent behavior under the influence of alcohol
- Injuries to self or to others while drinking
- Friend and family members getting affected mentally and psychologically
- No control over when and how much to drink
- Growing tolerance everyday to alcohol
- Severe withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, tremors and feeling depressed and sick when not drinking
- Insensitiveness to happenings in the family or at the workplace
- Only focusing on drinking and not worrying about anything else
- Getting angry and abusing others, verbally or physically, when alcohol is not available
- Stealing money to buy alcohol
If you or any of your friends display one or more of these signs, it could mean that help is needed in the form of intervention and possible alcohol rehab.