Drinking During the Holidays
Holidays are a special time for families and friends to come together and celebrate, and in many cultures, these gatherings involve indulging in excess food and drinks. Unfortunately, using alcohol to celebrate something special can hide developing alcoholism in some people, which makes knowing the signs of alcoholism to look out for during the holidays extremely important.
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Are You Concerned a Loved One Might Be an Alcoholic?
It may be difficult to tell whether your loved one is just having a good time during the holiday party or if they’re developing a problem with alcohol. Sometimes we see friends and family at the holidays that we haven’t seen in a while, so it can be a time to notice changes in behaviors and dinking habits that have developed since that last time you saw them. If you suspect a loved one may have an addiction to alcohol, you may want to look for the following signs of alcoholism.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction
Here are some of the most common signs of alcoholism:
- A change in personality while they are drinking
- Being unwilling to go to any social event where there is no alcohol or sneaking alcohol into events where it is inappropriate to be drinking.
- Being unable to keep commitments, missing scheduled activities, holiday parties, or family traditions due to drinking or hangovers.
- Hiding or drinking in secret, or denying that they have been drinking when they are clearly drunk.
- Acting out in anger or showing resentment when alcoholism is brought up in any way.
- Drinking before a drinking event
- Being unable to stop drinking even when they try and have difficulty saying “no thank you” to a drink when offered.
How to Help an Alcoholic
If you recognize these symptoms in yourself, it is not too late. You can make changes to help yourself stop drinking. Behaviors can be altered, and you do not need to hit “rock bottom” before stopping drinking. Here are a few things you can do now that will positively affect your health and wellness long-term.
- Attend a meeting: Even if you are not sure if you are an alcoholic, or if you are worried that your behaviors might cause you to end up eventually becoming addicted to alcohol, you can walk into any Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting or join other local support groups to listen and share your own story. Having the chance to listen to others may put your own experiences into perspective.
- Stop drinking: This is a step anybody can take. All you have to do is switch your alcoholic drink to soda or water. Nobody will care, and many won’t even notice. This is an excellent way to step back from your drinking, allowing yourself to see what type of role drinking has been playing in your life.
- Speak with a professional: Even if you feel “fine” or do not think you have an alcohol addiction if you are questioning yourself, it may be a good idea to have a professional like an addictions counselor or a psychotherapist to help you figure out whether you require addiction treatment, or if you have other issues that you may be trying to cover up with alcohol.
If your loved one or friend is showing signs of alcoholism during the holidays, you can encourage them to take these small actions as well. You cannot force anybody to change unless they want to, but if you let them know there are options available to them, it may be the help they need to stop drinking and even get professional help.
For more information about alcohol addiction treatments available to you, contact our team at Legacy Healing so you can determine what the next step should be. We can help you or your loved one recover from addiction and live a healthy, alcohol-free life; just give us a call at 888.534.2295 today.
