How can I tell if alcohol is a problem for me?

Alcohol is a problem for you if it causes a problem in any part of your life. This includes your health, your work and your life at home.
You may also have a problem with alcohol if you think about drinking all the time, if you keep trying to quit on your own, but can't, or if you drink more than you plan to. You may plan to have only a couple of drinks with dinner and end up drinking for the rest of the night.
Many people think only of a “skid row bum” when they think of someone with an alcohol problem. This can be the end stage of alcohol problems, when a person has lost his or her family, job and health to alcohol. You don't reach this stage overnight.

Ask yourself the CAGE questions

An easy way to tell if alcohol is a problem for you is to answer the questions in the CAGE questionnaire. If you answer yes to one of the questions, you may be at risk of developing alcohol problems. If you answer yes to two or more questions, you may have an alcohol problem.

Have you ever felt:

C- the need to Cut down on your drinking
A- Annoyed when someone questions you about your drinking
G- Guilty about your drinking
E- the need for a drink in the morning as an Eye-opener

You may see less obvious changes along the way, beginning with drinking more than you intended, more than is safe for what you are doing (like driving a car), or more than is safe for your health.


Signs that alcohol is a problem


Insomnia
Accidents

Loss of self esteem
Anxiety

Not taking care of yourself
Being unusually suspicious

Poor work performance
Blackouts/memory loss

Taking sick days for hangovers
Breakdown of relationships, such as divorce

Trembling hands
Depression

Trouble having erections in men
Driving offenses

Easily annoyed


Many people find it hard to admit when alcohol is a problem. Often, those around you may see alcohol as a problem for you while you don't see the problems it's causing. Think about he things mentioned here. Think about what your friends and family say to you about drinking. Then talk with your family doctor about your concerns.

How does alcohol affect health?

Alcohol is best known to be a cause of cirrhosis, a disease of the liver. However, it has many other effects on health. It's a major cause of death and injuries due to accidents. It can have severe effects on a baby during pregnancy. It's also often the cause of stomach pain due to a bleeding ulcer or an irritated stomach lining (gastritis).

What causes alcoholism?

The causes of alcoholism are not fully known. A history of alcoholism in your family makes it more likely. Males seem to be more at risk than women. Some experts say that drinkers use alcohol to “self-medicate” themselves. This means that alcohol is used to try to relieve anxiety, depression, tension, loneliness, self-doubt or unhappiness.
More than one of these theories probably plays a role in alcoholism. For example, a family history of alcoholism may combine with stress, a person's environment and personality to be associated with alcoholism.

What does it feel like to quit drinking?

There may be only mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms, depending on the severity of the problem. As you drink, your body tries to make up for the depressant effects of alcohol. This built-up tolerance to alcohol may result in extreme shakiness when the alcohol begins to wear off.
Serious withdrawal symptoms include seizures (fits) and delirium tremens or DTs (confusion, seeing things, shaking, being very suspicious), and can even include death. This is why you may need medical care if you've been drinking heavily and are trying to quit.

What happens when I quit?

If you've been drinking heavily for quite some time, you may need to go through detoxification (“detox”). In detoxification, you'll get the help you need to get you through withdrawal. Your doctor may prescribe medicine for you for a short while to make the process a little easier and safer.
You may also get support through counselling to help you with your recovery. People who counsel others with drinking problems are often recovering from drinking problems of their own. Part of a recovery also involves rebuilding relationship. You may be surprised at the support you get from your friends and family. Many other sources of support are also available to you such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA is a free self-help group run by non-drinking alcoholics to help themselves and others.


Can medicines help me?

Two medicines may help. A drug called disulfriam (also called Antabuse) may help you avoid alcohol. But it's not a cure. You start taking disulfiram after you have stopped drinking for three days. If you drink while taking this medicine, you'll have a severe reaction, such as flushing, vomiting and headache.
Naltrexone (an example is ReVia) can also help you quit drinking by blocking your ability to enjoy alcohol. It may help you stop drinking and keep you from drinking again. Naltrexone doesn't help everyone, though, and its effect is only a modest improvement over treatment without it. If you don't follow your doctor's instructions correctly, Naltrexone can damage your liver or cause it to completely shut down.

Do I have to stop drinking any alcohol at all?

Not necessarily. People with severe alcohol dependency problems have a disease called “alcoholism”. For them, not drinking at all is usually the best way to deal with their condition. Those who have less severe problems may choose to cut back or limit their drinking to low-risk levels, or they may also choose to not drink any alcohol. Talk to your family doctor to help you decide on what is best for you.


** note: delete entire paragraph on low-risk limits


How much is one standard drink?

1 ½ ounces of spirits (liquor)
5 ounces of table wine
3 ounces of fortified wine/aperitif
12 ounces of regular beer

To minimize the chance of problems, you should choose wisely when to drink and how much to drink.

Deciding if you should drink

Sometimes even one drink is risky. For example:


Before or while driving
Before or while using power tools
When taking medicine

At certain times it's best to put off drinking for awhile. For example:

When pregnant
When younger than the legal age for drinking
When a health problem may be made worse by drinking

You may get support through counselling to help you with your drinking problems. People who counsel others with drinking problems are sometimes recovering from drinking problems of their own, so they can offer a personal view.


For more information about alcohol problems, talk to your family physician about The College of Family Physicians' Alcohol Risk Assessment and Intervention (ARAI) Project.
Many other sources of support are al so available to you, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA is a free self-help group run by non-drinking alcoholics to help themselves and others.
If you're worried about the drinking of a friend or family member, a group called Al-Anon Family Groups may be able to help you.

For more information about AA or Al-Anon, look in your local phone book for the number.