When you have an alcohol problem, this means that the urge for alcohol is extremely great. You can no longer function normally without drinking alcohol. But where exactly is the line? In many cases the boundary is difficult to determine. Where does the fun end and the serious problem begin? It is often the case that the person does not recognize the problem themselves, but those around them do recognize it. It is therefore very important that you recognize the symptoms. For yourself and your loved ones!

In the danger zone

There are many symptoms that can indicate that drinking is in danger of getting out of control. Of course, not every regular drinker suffers from a drinking problem. But the line between drinking a lot and having a serious problem is very close. It also depends greatly on character whether a person is predisposed to developing an alcohol problem.When the following points apply, alarm bells should start ringing:

• You can always find a reason to drink
• Your social life suffers
• You lie about the amount you drink
• You keep resolving not to drink anymore, but you do it anyway
• You always drink more than you intended
• You get anxious at the thought of having to go without alcohol for a week or a month
• You need more and more alcohol to get the same effect

Dependent on alcohol

International agreements have been made regarding when you speak of a serious alcohol problem. If three or more of the following issues occur during a year, you can speak of a serious alcohol problem.

1. Tolerance : you can handle alcohol better and better, and you also need more and more alcohol to get the same effect.
2. Withdrawal : If you don’t drink, you suffer from withdrawal symptoms. To avoid these withdrawal symptoms, drink again and again. The following symptoms may then occur:
   • Perspire
   • High heart rate without exerting yourself
   • Nausea
   • Vomit
   • Hallucination (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
   • Being mentally and physically restless
   • Fear
   • Epileptic seizures
3. You no longer have control over your drinking behavior. You always drink more than you actually intended. You keep trying to reduce or stop drinking, but it just doesn’t happen. You spend more and more time buying and drinking alcohol, and recovering afterwards. Social contacts decrease or even disappear completely due to drinking. You know that alcohol causes damage and problems , but you continue with it anyway.

Search for help

If you suspect you have an alcohol problem, definitely seek help! It is not surprising that the step to seek help is very big. Many people are ashamed of the fact that they have an alcohol problem. Always take signals from the environment seriously. If someone close to you gently indicates that things are unacceptable, take this seriously.

Help via the internet

There are many ways to seek help these days. Many people do not want to draw too much attention to their problem and prefer to receive help anonymously. This can even be done via the internet! You can then have a chat session with a counselor, who will give you assignments to work on your problem. These treatments have proven to be very effective to date, and the best part is that it is anonymous. Of course, there are also many agencies that can provide day treatment or full admission to solve the alcohol problem. this is not something to be ashamed of. It is very strong when you dare to ask for help and accept it!