People who have problems with alcohol will often tell you that they cannot point to the moment their excessive use of it started.
There were loads of signs but given that they were sneaky, they were never acted upon.
And that is the thing about the alcohol problem. It is never one big event. There are little things that build up over time and you drift into it.
The statistics on alcohol abuse in Zimbabwe are threadbare but all it takes is going out for a bit of a drink and you will see the excesses.
Beyond the average binge drinker there is the problem drinker. Many of us lie in between.
But here are a few signs we got from prevention.com that you might be drinking too much without knowing it.
You become a daredevil
Alcohol gives you a sense of invincibility and if you see that your reckless behaviour increases with consumption then you have a problem. And some of it can be as simple as dancing on tables or engaging in risky sexual behaviour.
You are a weekend warrior
You always feel that a drink is needed every Friday or Saturday. There are benefits to drinking and it should be spread over the week. When you guzzle in one sitting then there is a problem because there is a dependency created based on a cycle. Binge drinking increases blood pressure and affects certain medication.
Drinking just creeps up on you
You go out for the ‘one or two’ and suddenly it is 4am and someone is helping you out of Private Lounge after you made an inappropriate remark at the stripper you were waiting for until she knocked off. Now she sees you as a nuisance and is calling you by you or your mother’s unmentionables. Alcohol got you there.
Your memory temporarily goes missing
Sadly, the number of times we have heard people say, ‘I have no idea how I got home’. Parts of your night go missing and only when people remind you do you even remotely remember it.
You let some responsibilities side
You miss meetings, are unable to take the kids out on Saturday morning as you promised because of alcohol, there is a problem. It has become a priority and that is dangerous
Your friends and family are concerned
Some will express their worry directly and indirectly. Listen to them. It is not because they want to stop you having fun. They genuinely care about you.
Larry Kwirirayi talked about these issues on the latest episode of his podcast, the #KwiriCast. Listen to it below
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