Alcoholism is a progressive disease that takes form in different ways over time. If you are worried about the health of a loved one, look for the physical signs of alcoholism.

In the United States, about 88,000 deaths are a result of alcoholism. Alcoholism is a progressive disease that takes form in different ways over time.

If you are worried about the health of a loved one, look for the physical signs of alcoholism.

High Tolerance

If you notice that your loved one can drink more and more every time you hang out, this could be a bad sign. When you consume lots of alcohol over time, your body will eventually become used to it, and you will have to drink more and more to feel the effects. A broad, general rule of thumb is that the higher your tolerance is the more likely you could be an alcoholic. However, there are many different things that can affect tolerance. 

If you notice your loved one drinking more and more, this could be one of the early physical signs of alcoholism. 

Appearance Change

One obvious change will be in their appearance. 

If they aren't showering or caring about their hygiene, they may be just too hungover or drunk to do so. They may also look physically sick, which could help you identify a potential problem.

Risky Behavior

Alcoholics don't have the best judgment, and they tend to put themselves in bad situations. This could be doing things such as driving while drunk over and over. This could also manifest itself into bringing alcohol into places that aren't socially acceptable, like sneaking alcohol in to see a movie. They could also be showing up to work or school drunk because they may have gone past the point of caring. 

Hiding Alcohol

If your loved one is hiding their alcohol, this may be another thing that signals they are addicted. This may include bringing it into places that normally isn't acceptable, like work or school. However, they could also be hiding it at home too so that you won't notice their excessive drinking habits.

If they are hiding it from you, that means that they probably know it's wrong. 

Withdrawal Symptoms

If an alcoholic doesn't drink for a while, they may start to experience withdrawal symptoms. If you drank the night before, you may have a hangover. But if someone is hungover without having drunk the night before, this may be a withdrawal symptom. 

These symptoms can be things such as:

• Sweating
• Nausea
• Shaking
• Feeling anxious

These symptoms may impact them so much that they can't go to work or school. They may also keep drinking to get rid of these symptoms. 

Inability to Stop Drinking

If you have tried to get them to stop drinking with no success, they may be an alcoholic. When someone is addicted to alcohol, the brain literally craves it. When this happens, alcoholics find it very difficult to say no to a drink. This is how the cycle of addiction begins.

Get Help When You See Physical Signs of Alcoholism

If you see any of these physical signs of alcoholism in your loved one, you may need to step in. You could have an intervention and help them realize that they need to get help.

You don't have to do it alone, though. We're here to help.

Contact us today to see how to help your loved one.

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