Alcoholic asks five questions that will prove if you have drinking problem or not
Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
An alcoholic has shared a series of questions you should ask yourself if you're worried about your drinking - and if you answer 'yes' to any of them, you need to seek help.
Corey Warren, from Mason, Michigan, was finding himself drunk at 10am, drinking two fifths of vodka every single day, and said his life was 'tanking in all areas'.
He told Recovery.com he attempted to get a handle on his drinking aged 21 by going cold turkey, but ended up hospitalised following an alcohol-induced seizure - inspiring him to go to rehab and start attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
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He's spoken plenty about the 'hidden cost' of drinking, with the impacts it has on your physical and mental health even when you're not having a drink, and the signs which made him realise he was addicted to alcohol too.
Eager to stop someone else repeating his mistakes, he's come up with five questions to ask yourself to interrogate your drinking habits.
The first of five questions he wanted people to ask themselves was: "Can you stop after one or two drinks, or does one or two always turn into five, six, or more?"
For the second question he turned attention towards a social life, asking: "Can you enjoy events like vacation, games, concerts, hanging out with friends? Can you do that without alcohol or when there's no alcohol? Does it feel like something's missing?"
Corey has in the past said that this one can be a test of your relationship with alcohol all by itself, suggesting you should try hanging out with friends with no alcohol and seeing how it feels.
As for his next question, he asked: "Do you spend a lot of time planning your next drink, fantasizing about it, wondering how much you're going to get? Is it going to be enough?"
There are many things you might be asking yourself, but for the fourth question Corey turned towards the responses of other people around you.
"Have people around you mentioned that maybe you want to slow down or cut back on your drinking?" he asked of his audience who might be wondering if they were an alcoholic.
"These are people like your spouse, your friends, your family, your loved ones. Those people usually know that you have a problem long before you do."
While he's rolled several questions into one for his various enquiries it's the end of his final query that really sums up what he's getting at with the self-interrogation.
He said: "Has alcohol ever cost you anything more than just money. Has it cost a relationship? Has it cost a job? Have you had legal issues? Maybe it's your sleep or your health.
"Is alcohol taking more than it's giving?"
Corey suggested that if those questions were making you feel uncomfortable it was time to take it as a sign to examine whether your drinking is healthy.
For the alcoholic trying to help others quit drinking he boiled it down to one key issue: "Is alcohol adding to your life or taking away?"
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.
Joe Harker