Author: Charles Frank

12 Warning Signs of an Alcohol Problem Explained With Pictures

Alcohol can damage your liver, heart, brain, pancreas, and immune system. Although you realize it’s harming you, a physical or emotional dependence on alcohol can make quitting hard. Can you think of more than a few times when you came to work with a hangover, missed deadlines, or got behind on schoolwork because of your drinking? When your alcohol use, including being sick from drinking, often prevents you from keeping up with responsibilities at home, work, or school, it’s a problem. Instead, the term is used to indicate that a person misuses alcohol. The Päihdelinkki online service maintained by the A-Clinic Foundation contains information on intoxicant abuse and addictions.

Seek treatment at an A-Clinic through the intoxicant abuse services (päihdepalvelut) of your area of residence. You can contact the nearest health and social services centre (sosiaali- ja terveyskeskus) if you have issues with alcohol or drug use. Different wellbeing services counties may use different names for health and social services centre, such as terveysasema, terveyskeskus or hyvinvointiasema.

Explore a variety of healthcare news & stories by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles. Some patients may need a prescription medication (naltrexone, acamprosate or disulfiram) that helps reduce alcohol dependence. “There’s no quantity or frequency of alcohol included in the definition,” says Anne Fernandez, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist for University of Michigan Addiction Treatment Services. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

If you have continued to drink in spite of negative consequences, that could be an indication of a serious problem.

Self-Tests to Help Determine a Drinking Problem

Are you wondering whether your drinking is on the high side of normal or if it’s crossed the line into a problem? If any of the following scenarios seem familar, it might be time to make some changes. Alcoholics Anonymous (Anonyymit Alkoholistit), or AA, is a peer association for men and women to share experiences about alcoholism and to help each other recover. AA groups meet in many different municipalities, and the largest cities also have English-speaking groups. She also notes that loved ones can set limits around “what they’re willing to tolerate,” including the threat of leaving in extreme cases, to ensure their own safety and emotional well-being. Still, the prospect of getting someone into treatment can be difficult — if not contentious.

1. The more things you said “yes” to, the more important it is that you take action or seek help from a health professional.
2. We’re not talking about just the time with a glass (or can, or bottle) in your hand.
3. Alcoholics Anonymous (Anonyymit Alkoholistit), or AA, is a peer association for men and women to share experiences about alcoholism and to help each other recover.
4. Alcohol use that creates problems with your ability to function at home, at work, in school, or in your relationships is a sign of a drinking problem.
5. Likewise, those affected by another person’s alcohol use disorder might seek individual or family counseling, Fernandez says.

“Individuals who are drinking at a level where it’s not safe to stop on their own need a medically supervised detox,” says Fernandez. “Ideally, the next step is appropriate treatment, such as an intensive outpatient program.” Drugs and alcohol cause changes in the brain that can make the process of quitting extremely complex. Addiction is also caused by factors such as genetics, environmental influences and developmental factors (such as the age that a person’s substance use begins). If you’re not sure, consider taking an alcohol withdrawal symptoms quiz to learn more. Do you continue to drink even though you know it’s causing health problems, or making those problems worse?

Alcohol changes your brain chemistry, and when you drink heavily over a long period of time, your brain tries to adapt. If you suddenly stop drinking, your brain has to adjust again, causing these withdrawal symptoms. Other treatment options include counseling and 12-step support groups. A person with a drinking problem may or may not have an alcohol use disorder. In some cases, people who might be described as problem drinkers can reduce their alcohol intake or quit drinking when they realize it negatively affects their lives. You care about your loved ones, but you can’t imagine your life without alcohol.

You Spend a Lot of Time on Drinking

Alcohol use that creates problems with your ability to function at home, at work, in school, or in your relationships is a sign of a drinking problem. Don’t feel bad, but do consider cutting back on drinking — or quitting altogether. The more things you said “yes” to, the more important it is that you take action or seek help from a health professional.

If you have decided that you do have a drinking problem and you want to do something about it, there is a world of help available. The first step should be to contact your healthcare provider and be totally honest about your use of alcohol. Quitting alcohol suddenly can result in alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can range from mild to life-threatening. Self-assessments can be helpful for spotting the signs of a problem, but consider talking to your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your alcohol consumption. They can make an official diagnosis and provide further advice and treatment recommendations.

Family members or an employer are often the first to notice a problem with alcohol, as the affected individual might not recognize the extent of his or her actions. Doctors consider multiple factors when gauging a patient’s alcohol issues and advising treatment. If you or others are concerned, make an appointment with your provider to talk about your drinking. Your brain adapts to alcohol over time and can become less sensitive to its effects.

Alcoholics Anonymous

It was released on February 27, 2017, as the first single from their debut album On the Rocks. The band members wrote the song with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally, both of whom produced it with Dann Huff. Some say that if you have to ask whether or not you have a drinking problem, chances are that you probably do. And if others in your life have told you that you have a problem, you probably do.

Keep track of all your activities in a daily diary or schedule planner for a few weeks, and take an honest look at how it adds up. If a young person has problems with alcohol, drugs or gaming, they can seek help from a youth station (nuorisoasema). The young person can come to a youth station alone or together with the parents. Here are some guidelines for drinking alcohol responsibly, as long as you do not have a drinking problem.

Youth Station

You should also know how your alcohol use may affect your life and those around you. Maybe you’ve been concerned enough that you’ve already thought about or actually tried to cut down on your drinking — and it didn’t happen. Alcohol masks unhappy emotions, so those feelings may come back when you quit drinking, making it harder to stick to your goal. If you try to abstain, but then obsess over alcohol or switch to another drug or behavior, that’s a red flag. We’re not talking about just the time with a glass (or can, or bottle) in your hand. There’s also getting the alcohol, feeling sick after you drink, and recovering from the effects later.

Find more top doctors on

Some of the AddictionLink services are also available in Swedish, English and Russian. The number of “yes” answers determines the level of alcohol use disorder. There are, of course, outward signs, such as risky behavior and neglected relationships.