Woman shares warning sign noticed around Christmas that revealed she had dysfunctional relationship with alcohol

Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.

A woman has revealed a warning sign she noticed during the Christmas period which made her realise that she had a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol.

The festive period can see most of us enjoy a little more boozing than normal, but would you be able to tell if you were taking the drinking too far?

Signs that you're slipping towards functional alcoholism can sometimes be hard to spot, especially if everyone around you is also knocking back the drinks, however, there are several concerning behaviours to look out for.

For TikToker Issy (@issyhawkins_) one of the biggest warning signs for her came to light around Christmas when it came to her drinking habits.

Sharing a photo of her younger self, Issy said: "This is the moment I probably should've realised that drink was going to become a problem for me later in life."

The content creator went on to explain that it was during the festive period that she discovered it was socially acceptable to have a splash of Baileys in coffee without anyone else judging.

"I would fill my mug up half with Baileys and then with just like a little bit of hot water on top of it," she explained. "I was just having a massive mug of Baileys."

Explaining what drew her to drinking alcohol, Issy continued: "I loved the feeling of having alcohol in my system so much because when I drank I felt better.

"Just from a very young age was very excited by the idea of being able to be drunk at all times of the day."

Issy then went on to explain how this affected her later in life when her drinking 'got really out of control' as she would start having alcohol in the morning to deal with hangovers, anxiety and day-to-day things such as going to work.

"I just found myself looking for all the opportunities that there might be to drink as early as possible in the day," she admitted.

Other warning signs which could suggest you're developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol that are more visible over the festive season include regular drinking binges and opting for social situations which tend to involve alcohol.

"Alcohol is often a bigger struggle in winter, partly because it’s so accessible and seen as a 'warming' comfort on cold days," Jamie Giles, Director of Outpatient Services at Castle Health, told LADbible.

"There’s also the social side of alcohol, with winter gatherings, parties, and pub outings making it easy to drink heavily."

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.