I mean for someone like me it was pretty obvious. At some point you don't drink for a day and you get the shakes, or you realize that you're getting blackout drunk every weekend, or friends make comments about how much you drink, or a whole host of other things. I spent a few years living in denial, but I knew years before I stopped that I had a problem.
I don't know of a great way to answer the question "am I an addict?" that doesn't require some serious introspection. That being said, one thing I often tell people is that if they're honestly, seriously concerned that they're drinking too much and if they're asking me whether they're an alcoholic, it's something worth looking in to.
Before I abused alcohol, I abused prescription stimulants. Sometimes I'd take them and then spend hours browsing wikipedia reading about their addictive potential, or reading about how abuse of stimulants was spreading across America. It was a pretty obvious warning sign.
The reason I know I'm an addict is because once I start drinking/popping pills, I really can't stop myself. I keep drinking until I pass out, or keep binging on pills until I'm out and I haven't slept in days. AA has the saying "one [drink] is too many, and a thousand is never enough", and it certainly applies to me. Most addicts I've talked to feel the same way.
Speaking as a recovering addict and alcoholic, trivializing alcohol addiction and the effort it takes to recover from it is both incorrect and potentially harmful.
Speaking personally, alcohol has been incredibly hard to break away from and did as much or more damage to my life than my other drugs of choice.
Speaking more scientifically, alcohol withdrawal has the potential to kill you if you don't seek help[1]. It's absolutely miserable even when you don't die, of course.
I understand that people can be addicted to all kinds of things, and that some addictions such as gambling have the potential to ruin lives just like substance abuse. However, alcohol is a powerful, absurdly common, physically addictive substance.
Quitting was necessary for me, but a phrase like "you can quit easily, just do it!" is wrong to the point that it's almost offensive.
I don't know of a great way to answer the question "am I an addict?" that doesn't require some serious introspection. That being said, one thing I often tell people is that if they're honestly, seriously concerned that they're drinking too much and if they're asking me whether they're an alcoholic, it's something worth looking in to.
Before I abused alcohol, I abused prescription stimulants. Sometimes I'd take them and then spend hours browsing wikipedia reading about their addictive potential, or reading about how abuse of stimulants was spreading across America. It was a pretty obvious warning sign.
The reason I know I'm an addict is because once I start drinking/popping pills, I really can't stop myself. I keep drinking until I pass out, or keep binging on pills until I'm out and I haven't slept in days. AA has the saying "one [drink] is too many, and a thousand is never enough", and it certainly applies to me. Most addicts I've talked to feel the same way.