Alcoholic shares the three differences between a normal drinker and an addict
Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
An alcoholic who kicked his addiction has explained how you can tell whether someone is a 'normal drinker' or not.
Due to his personal battle with booze, Corey Warren reckons he can easily weigh up who is dependent on the stuff and who can take it or leave it.
He believes there are 'three big differences' which set social drinkers and heavy boozers apart, so he decided to share them with his 228,000 YouTube subscribers.
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"If you found yourself relating to any one of those three things, just know you're not alone," Corey told viewers. "I know what it feels like."
The content creator, from the US state of Michigan, 'faced the grips of addiction to drugs and alcohol at an early age', according to his website.
Following several stints in rehab, he managed to get completely sober in 2011 - which was a seriously mean feat for someone who was wholly dependent on liquor.
These days, he's a business owner and public speaker, while he also launched a nonprofit which focuses on helping those struggling with addiction.
The father-of-two has also grown a huge community online since sharing his sobriety journey on social media.
In a video shared back in August, 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."
The American also believes that there is a huge dissimilarity in the level of 'control' that both groups have when it comes to alcohol.
"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.
"When I decided to stop, it was because the bottle was empty, I was passed out, or I was blacked out."
Thirdly and finally, Corey explained that people who aren't addicted to alcohol rarely ever question themselves about having a drinking problem.
He explained: "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: Alcohol, Food And Drink, Health, Mental Health, Lifestyle
Olivia Burke