Do you have a problem with alcohol? "Not me! I'm not a falling down drunk!"

“I’m not an alcoholic! I don’t have a problem!  I’m fine.”

We’ve all heard the word denial before but few stick to it so vehemently as the high functioning alcoholic.  

There are many ways of telling yourself that you don’t have a problem and those around you might also support this idea, but when alcohol is a problem both you and others may begin to suffer.  

Maybe your partner doesn’t want you to drink at parties because you don’t know when to stop, or you feel you have to have that drink in the middle of the day because you just can't get through a full day at work. Maybe you are hiding bottles in the re-cycle bin or filling them with water so others can't see how much you've really drunk.

Maybe when you can’t get out of bed in the morning, you tell yourself it’s because you went to bed late, not because you are hung-over.  You don’t fit the stereotype of being a “drunk” so therefore you don’t have a problem with alcohol. This is the high functioning alcoholic. Is this you?

According to http://www.helpguide.org/mental/alcohol_abuse_alcoholism_signs_effects_treatment.htm

You may have a drinking problem if you...

• Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
• Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
• Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
• Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
• “Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.
• Regularly drink more than you intended to.

If you use alcohol to ease emotional issues or to cope with “life”, to make yourself feel better and to numb feelings then you may well be in need of a wake-up.  

You don’t have to be a falling down drunk to have a problem with alcohol. Anyone can become a person with a compulsion so strong that you can’t say no to a drink.  You think about it all day and can’t wait to hit 5 o’clock and crack into one.  You could not wait to get home so you opened it in the car, after all you’re not drunk when you have just had this one, right?  

It’s this altered thinking that needs to be noticed and changed.  Reliance upon alcohol as a support lowers self-esteem, undermines confidence, and ruins your life and those around you.  If anything in this post has hit a nerve contact me today to make changes and get on with living the life you deserve.  

www.scopehypnosis.com

Lisa Wheeler