So, how can you tell if your drinking is more than a casual thing? Here are 7 signs to look out for:

1. Missing work

Sometimes we stay out too late on a work or school night and pay for it the next day. If you realize that you are missing school or work often because you drank too much the night before, there may be a problem.

2. Fighting with friends and family

Have you started to notice that you’re getting into fights with your friends and family when you are drinking?

3. Guilt/Shame/Remorse

Are you finding that you wake up with a knot in your stomach because you embarrassed yourself the night before?

4. Money

Are the bills piling up? Do you owe people money or can’t make rent because you’ve spent it on alcohol?

5. Cravings

There’s the happy feeling of looking forward to unwinding with a cold one after a long day. But is there an urge or longing?. We use the term ‘craving’ to talk about what we want, but a real craving feels more like a need than a want.

6. Escaping

If you find that you’re drinking to escape the anxiety of your life, it may become a problem.

7. Blackouts

Blackouts are when you have no recollection of what happened for a portion of time and it doesn’t come back to you at all. Blackout episodes can be very dangerous.