Alcoholic shares the three key differences between normal drinker and an addict
Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
If the ever-growing price of a pint wasn't already enough to put you off alcohol, it seems as if more people are cottoning on to just how bad it can be for our health.
While more and more young people are contemplating going sober, there are also those who still enjoy going out and having a few drinks on their weekend.
This is obviously not a problem, but there can sometimes be a fine line between having one or two drinks and having significantly more than that, which is why it's important to keep an eye on your mates who sometimes go a bit overboard.
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Now, online content creator Corey Warren, who managed to kick his own addiction to booze, has weighed in with three differences between your average drinker and your alcoholics.
Why does someone drink?
In a video shared last year with his followers, Corey explained why people who 'think that an alcoholic is just somebody who drinks too much' aren't understanding the bigger picture.
"The difference is not in how much I drink, it's in how I drink," he said. "Normal drinkers, they have a reason for not drinking.
"Maybe the kids wake up early or I have to go to work or I'm getting up early so I can work out. Whatever it is, they have a reason not to drink."
Whereas on the other hand, Corey was in the mindset that he had a reason to drink, as he explained: "Bad day, I'm drinking. If I'm stressed out, I'm drinking. If I'm fighting with my wife, I'm drinking.
"Or if something good happened and I want to celebrate, I'm drinking. See, normal drinkers, they have reasons not to drink. Me, I have every reason in the book to drink."
"I never had that switch"
Another key sign is the difference in control that people have when they are drinking, as addicts will often find it difficult to stop once they've begun.
"Normal drinkers, they can have one, two, and then put it down," Corey went on. "They know when enough is enough. I never had that switch, alcohol determined when enough was enough.
"If there was a drink in front of me, I was drinking it. If there was a case, I was finishing it. If it was a bottle, I wouldn't stop until it was gone."
He's previously suggested in another video that blacking out is not only terrible for your health but also a strong indicator that you might have a problem, and that was something he would regularly do.
"I was constantly asking myself, 'Is this good for me?'"
His third and final tell is a little less obvious, and sees alcoholics consistently deny that they have a drinking problem.
It's often said that first step on the road to recovery is acceptance, but some alcoholics simply won't question whether they should be drinking so much.
Corey concluded: "Normal drinkers, they don't wonder if they have a problem with alcohol. They don't wrestle with the thought that maybe they shouldn't drink.
"But me, I was constantly asking myself, 'Is this good for me? Am I sure I should be doing this? Maybe I'm taking this too far...maybe I'm an alcoholic, maybe I should stop.'
"Those are all questions that normal drinkers, they never ask. But me, I was always wondering."
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.
Topics: Mental Health
James Moorhouse