“When I ask them about their drinking, they often fail to see they have a problem because things haven’t (yet) reached the stage where they physically depend on it — when the body becomes reliant on alcohol and the shakes kick in if they go without it,” he added.
Pemberton recommends undergoing the four-question CAGE assessment , a screening tool that may identify a substance abuse problem. CAGE — developed in 1968 by Dr. John Ewing, a psychiatry professor and addiction therapy clinician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — stands for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty and Eye-opener.
Cut down: Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Annoyed: Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Guilty: Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
Eye-opener: Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
“Answering ‘yes’ to two or more of these questions means there could be a problem that can’t simply be explained away as summer fun or rectified with Sober October,” Pemberton penned.
“Sober October” is similar to “Dry January” — they are monthlong challenges that encourage people to abstain from alcohol, which may improve their sleep and mental health, lead to weight loss, lower their blood pressure and help save money.
Pemberton says partaking in this type of feat may reveal a problem that needs treatment.
“Reducing your alcohol intake is always a sensible thing, but if the first thing you do come the first of February or November is reach for the corkscrew then it’s a good indicator that a month off the booze isn’t going to fix things — and it could even be time to seek professional help,” Pemberton explained.
Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink anymore…
Bored Bear
2h ago
Most obvious signs are a Red face, Nose, Bloated Face, Stomach, Body. Diminished intellectual ability. Loss of motivation. Envy of folks who are motivated and extreme bullying. Loss of tact, decency, self-control. But, then again, some folks who Don’t drink , sometimes, exhibit the same traits. So, it’s hard to tell sometimes, who has a problem due to drinking. Or, just, a character flaw they can’t do anything about….
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