If you have found your way to our site you’re looking for help. You’re worried about someone you know (or maybe even yourself). Here at The River Source, we know the struggles addiction bring, not just to the addict but to those around them. We have been working for years to help treat those in need, through a philosophy of holistic healing. But before we can get there, the first, most critical step is the recognition of the problem. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol dependency, look for these signs of alcoholism to identify the problem.

Signs of Alcoholism

Unable to control consumption

Binge-drinking is a huge contributor to alcoholism and developing alcoholism in people. If you find that anytime you go out with a plan to drink one or two glasses of wine and son you’re hitting your fifth or sixth and ordering another bottle, you may have a problem. If you consistently drink more than your peers or the people you are going out with, you likely suffer from a problem controlling your alcohol consumption.

Spending a significant amount of money on alcohol

Drinking out can always be expensive, but if your budget sees the amount you are spending each month going up and up, there’s something wrong. It could also mean…

Prioritizing drinking over other responsibilities

All of our lives are full of responsibilities of varying importance. Work, school, family, bills. The list is endless. What should never be a priority over anything else is drinking. If you find that yourself or your loved one is putting getting drunk ahead of paying for their bills, seeing their family, going to work, well that is a sure sign that they are having problems with alcohol abuse.

Craving alcohol, thinking about the next drink

Alcoholism is craving whenever you aren’t drinking, planning and thinking when that drink will come, what it will be, etc. That drive treats alcohol in the same way we treat our other real needs. Food, shelter, warmth. Those are necessaries of survival and alcoholism hijacks our brains to treat alcohol as a need. That consuming desire for more alcohol is a sure sign of alcoholism.

Needing alcohol to treat an upset stomach or stop tremors

While thinking and planning about the next drink is a mental rewiring of the brain by alcoholism, needing a drink to fight ill feelings or tremors is a physical sign of addiction. This is a very real, physical symptom of alcoholism. Your body is addicted to alcohol.

Attempting to stop drinking with relapsing, multiple times

Recognizing that there may be a problem and attempting to curb it only to fall back into the habit of drinking is one of the clearest signs of alcoholism there is. An inability to curb substance use and abuse is a clear indicator of addiction.

There are physical symptoms and signs of alcoholism as well as mentioned. Blackouts, sweating, dizziness, cravings, shakes, nausea or vomiting and others. Behavior changes, blurred vision, weakness. The list goes on.

All of these signs are a part of one single encompassing fact: an inability to control their relationship with alcohol. It can manifest in myriad different ways, but if there is anything in your or your loved one’s life that points to them having troubles with controlling their drinking, it is worth it to open up a frank discussion. What’s going on? How are they feeling? Why are they drinking so much? Identify the problems, study them. And seek help!

Fortunately, the damage caused by alcohol abuse can, in part, be reverted – but only if it is caught and treated early enough. Later stages of alcohol abuse can irreparably damage the body, mind, and spirit. Be honest, be caring, and with help, be better.

If you or someone you love needs help, contact us and/or fill out an admissions application and our team here at The River Source will be in touch. You don’t have to suffer, you can heal, you can get better.