Know the Alcohol Abuse Symptoms so that You
can Identify the Warning Signs of Alcoholism

Alcohol abuse symptoms serve as the warning signs of alcoholism because a dependence or serious problem with alcohol tends to progress from consistent alcohol abuse to full blown alcoholism.

Alcohol Abuse is simply a case of drinking too much on a regular basis. Especially in western culture, alcohol abuse is a fairly common thing. There is nothing wrong with drinking too much – if done occasionally.

A problem begins to develop when you start doing this on a regular basis despite the fact that this drinking pattern is starting to cause ongoing problems, like ...

• Driving Drunk
• Missing Work
• Avoiding or not taking care of usual everyday tasks
• Physical or Mental/Emotional problems, e.g. mood swings, depression

I read a good definition of alcohol abuse that sums up the problem nicely. It describes alcohol abuse as persistent drinking despite alcohol-related social, physical, occupational, or psychological problems - or engaging in dangerous behaviour having drunk too much, such as while driving.

These alcohol abuse symptoms therefore all serve as alcoholism warning signs. But when does alcohol abuse turn into full-blown alcoholism? The key difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism is in loss of control.

You continue to drink despite things getting consistently worse – to the point where your life starts to fall apart. It can be a bit of a grey area – and I always say that you’ve got a serious problem when alcohol starts affecting your life in the areas described above, i,e. psychological, social, physical or occupational.

And when that starts happening – whether you are still classified as an alcohol abuser or alcoholic shouldn’t matter. You need help and your problem needs addressing. These signs of alcoholism and this alcoholism self test will also be enlightening in helping you determine how bad the problem really is.

So remember – the alcohol abuse symptoms and the early warning signs of alcoholism often go hand in hand. And then getting the problem seen to is critical which the alcoholism treatment area will tell you more about. How to stop drinking is also a must-read.

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If you or someone you love has a drinking problem, here's a homestudy program called Addiction Free Forever that lots of people have been experiencing excellent results with and that makes a great alternative to more traditional methods that many people find frustrating.

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