When A Thousand Isn’t Enough and One is Too Many

We?ve all been through times in our lives when we?ve drank beer or liquor in excess and have woken up with a list of regrets as long as the Great Wall of China. Take for example our freshman year of college. For a lot of kids, this is their first taste of freedom and independence. So why not celebrate with a late night binge fest and a casual hook-up with the girl in the dorm down the hall?

Learn if you have a problem

But large consumptions of alcohol doesn?t stop after your receive your diploma. According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of binge drinking episodes involve adults 26 years and older. Also, adult males are 47% more likely to binge drink than women.

In a world where people are working harder than ever to have the perfect job, the perfect car, and the perfect social life, we can literally drive ourselves to drink. After a 60-hour work week, sometimes all you really want to do is sit down with a pint of beer and unwind.

Plus, much of a twenty and thirty-something man?s social life revolves around alcohol. You?ll meet a couple buddies at the bar and throw a few back or enjoy a couple of cold ones at the ball-field.

So how can you tell if you have a drinking problem if our entire culture seems to center around alcohol? Some people think that the amount of alcohol you consume determines if you?re an alcoholic or not. Others think that alcoholics are those that try to hide their drinking problem and can never stop.

It?s a hazy line between excessive drinking and alcoholism. Some people are what you would call ?functioning alcoholics.? They can maintain a job, pay their rent, and keep a semblance of normalcy amidst their dependency on booze. Others simply just cannot cope without alcohol and their whole lives center around it.

If you think you may have a drinking problem, try and ask yourself the following questions:

– Can you go more than a couple of days without need a drink?
-?Once you start drinking, are you able to cut yourself off at any time?
– Has alcohol caused trouble at home, at your job, with your family or with your friends?
– Do you blackout?
– Has your alcohol consumption led you to have legal problems?
-?Do you drink to get drunk?

If you answered ?yes? to two or more of the questions listed, you may have a drinking problem. Only an expert can properly diagnose you, so it is critical that you seek professional help.

Alcoholism is a treatable disease that can be prevented. You do not have to let it destroy your life. With the right guidance, you can overcome it.