A question often pondered but rarely spoken aloud by those facing the emotional distress and repercussions of problematic drinking is- am I an alcoholic? It’s a healthy question to ask oneself after a blackout or self destructive binge, but this probably only applies for those that abuse alcohol if one is expecting a truthful answer. The real up and coming alcoholics will most likely already be in the denial phase of the mental aspect of the disease. Burning through the sick-mind fog of self deception and rationalizations can be difficult for those already both feet into an addiction so I suggest a different question.
How many times have you asked the question am I an alcoholic?
If you have asked this question more than once mark yourself down for the alcohol abuse column and for those that repeatedly question their consumption and fail to adhere to set limits… well regardless of your reasoning or excuses it’s probably time to seek help.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well said! I did ask this question a lot. Unfortunately, I asked out loud to my group of alcoholic friends who always told me no. I am thinking that after that second time I opened my mouth to ask that I probably already knew I was.
Birds of a feather lie together- LOL.