Six signs you could be a borderline alcoholic and need to cut back as heavy festive period approaches
Hello everyone, sorry to mention the dreaded 'c' word but Christmas is coming sooner than you think.
Just a couple of months ago it was the final days of summer and a couple of months from now the festive period will be upon us as it'll be Christmas frigging Eve.
Hopefully you'll have all your presents bought and wrapped, the turkey prepared to go in the oven and your itinerary for the next few days all nice and clear.
However, for some people the festive season can be rather rough going for a plethora of reasons, one among them being that rather a lot of alcohol is consumed during it.
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Though the season to be jolly is only a couple of months away there's a lot of people who'll equate being jolly with being drunk.
For those struggling with alcohol addiction it can be a particularly difficult time, and there are six signs of a borderline alcoholic which might help people spot their own behaviour.
Drinking without thinking
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 'people like to drink alcohol because of its ability to alter emotional states'.
They say that alcohol 'induces euphoria, relaxation, and disinhibition while reducing stress and anxiety'.
If you're nice and relaxed then you could just keep drinking and not really realise how much you've actually had in total.
Regular binges
Dr Dave Nichols, an NHS GP, told The Sun that alcoholism is when a person has an uncontrollable desire to drink.
"Their body is dependent on alcohol," he said.
Routinely drinking in large quantities is a clear sign of alcohol addiction, and at Christmas there's a lot of opportunities to do this.
Plenty of people will be willing to have drinks, while the major dates in the final week of the year are often moments of major alcohol consumption.
Are you letting loose for the Christmas period, or are you binge drinking a lot?
The NHS has advised people planning to drink heavily during the festive period to beware the consequences.
You only socialise if there's alcohol
With the festive period coming up there's lots of opportunities to socialise and get drunk, it's one of the times of the year where drinking throughout the day isn't going to raise many eyebrows.
However, many who are addicted to alcohol will only be interested in social situations if they know it's going to be an opportunity to drink.
If you find yourself saying no to an invitation because you know there's not going to be any alcohol involved it's considered a sign.
Going for a big walk on Boxing Day may not be your cup of tea, but is that because you'd rather be where the alcohol is?
Regular day drinking
"Alcoholics will usually develop physical and psychological symptoms if they stop drinking," Dr Nichols explained.
"Borderline alcoholics might experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, stress, anxiety, bad skin, trouble sleeping, irritability and higher blood pressure."
Once again, with winter bearing down on us and Christmas closer than you think drinking through the day will be done by many, the issue is that there'll be some who do that on the regular.
Others not drinking annoys you
During the festive season it's helpful to try and calm down any disagreements before they spiral into something too serious.
You might not be able to avoid that relative airing some quite extreme politics under the guise of 'just wondering' while everyone else is trying to watch the Wallace and Gromit special, but someone struggling with alcohol addiction might turn on those who've decided to take a break from drinking.
If you find yourself getting irrationally annoyed at people who've decided to put the champagne glass down for a bit then you might need to examine what's really getting to you.
Other advice from the NHS warns you not to try and pressure people into drinking with you, as there are many valid reasons why they may not want to do it.
You break the NHS guidelines regularly
The NHS guidelines advise not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week.
This is probably going to be broken during the Christmas period, but if you're doing this on many other weeks of the year it's a worrying sign you may be an alcoholic.
All that alcohol will be doing you some serious damage on the inside as well.
Dr Nichols warned: "The most common long-term physical impacts of borderline alcoholism are abnormal liver function, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health problems, but these are often hidden diseases and patients are unaware of them until they progress."
Additional words by Anish Vij.
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, Christmas, Health, Mental Health, NHS
Joe Harker