Am I an alcoholic? Am I an Addict? So what really happens if you are worried you have a problem?
You may speak to a loved one or close friend? You may approach a counsellor or close friend? You may even enlist the help of a support group be it either online or local meet up? However what is more likely, especially in the early stages, is that you will keep the problem under wraps and search for information privately. The place that most people start is Google, right? It certainly was my first point, I must of looked at least 30-40 times. I did a simple google search under ‘Do I have an Alcohol Problem” and it returns a whooping 149 million results and ‘Do I have a drug problem’ returns over 200 million results. If you looked at each page for one minute, it would take you over 850 years to look at them all. No wonder Google never really is the answer to solving our alcohol or drug problems!
The tricky part is that addiction or problem drinking/drug use is not black or white. People don’t start of enjoying a glass of wine with dinner one day and turn into a raving alcoholic the next. The same with drugs, you don’t start off with a spliff at a party and then crave a needle full of heroin the next. There is no clear cut boundary or limit that defines when usage becomes an addiction. And that boundary differs from one person to another. Two drinks may be entirely manageable for some, but a doorway to a serious problem for others.
What is the dictionary definition of ‘Addiction”
“… dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation, enslavement…”
As you can see this is as simple as a habit, but the key difference being that this is a dependence and in alcohol or drugs this is when you have tried to stop, but you can’t! In my view the common definition should be “Trying to stop something that we know is bad for us, but we cant”. Remembering this is not just confined to alcohol and drugs, there is now addiction to phones, social media, sex, money and so the list goes on…!
My simplistic view, is that you may have a problem or an addiction to alcohol, drugs or any destructive habit if you:
“Have Tried to Stop Before, Know that continuing this habit is bad for you, but despite knowing all this choose to continue as can’t seem to stop on your own”
If this is you and your bad habit is with alcohol and drugs, don’t worry I am here to help. I am a professionally trained Addiction Coach and PLUS I have lived through beating a problem and addiction myself. I want to help you create a better life and be your best self!
