12 signs you drink too much

You think you can spot an alcoholic a mile off. They’re dishevelled and look intoxicated, they can barely string a sentence together, let alone hold down a good job, and their life is a wreck. Right? No, wrong!

This is the stereotypical image many people have of alcoholics, but not all problem drinkers are the same. There are those who knock back so much that they are technically abusing alcohol, yet they still seem to be functioning normally. They can be successful at their jobs, have good relationships and appear to be completely in control.

They’re known as high-functioning alcoholics, and while it might seem that alcohol is not having a detrimental effect on them, it is usually only a matter of time before they develop drink-related problems – whether it is ill health or issues like drink-driving or relationship breakdowns.

You’re generally considered to be an “at-risk” drinker if you’re a woman who has more than three drinks a day or seven in a week, or a man who has more than four a day or 14 in a week.

In fact, alcoholics can down a lot more than that, and functional ones are able to drink seven or more a day yet they don’t seem intoxicated.

That’s because they’ve developed a tolerance to alcohol. However, they will still be doing as much damage to their health as anyone else drinking the same amount. Too much alcohol can cause liver, kidney and brain damage, memory loss and high blood pressure. It is also linked to several cancers. In addition, it can result in risky behaviours such as driving drunk, being sexually promiscuous and having an accident.

Often we don’t realise we’re drinking too much until it starts to cause problems.

Can you spot a high-functioning alcoholic?

1. They drink a lot but never seem to get very drunk
2. They’re proud they can drink everyone else under the table
3. They turn up to work and get on with the job after a drinking session the night before.
4. They encourage everyone else to drink – they’re the one getting people to the bar for happy hour, buying rounds of shots or bringing booze along to events where most people probably wouldn’t drink – ie playdates with the kids
5. They’re irritable and on edge if they can’t drink, eg if you go to a café that doesn’t serve alcohol or run out of alcohol
6. They reward themselves with alcohol
7. They can’t wait to have their first drink in the evening. Then they knock back drinks in quick succession
8. You catch them having sneaky drinks
9. They have memory lapses due to heavy drinking
10. They deny that they have a problem. They will often point out that they have a job, don’t disgrace themselves in public and never suffer from terrible hangovers so therefore they can’t be an alcoholic
11. They get angry when they are confronted about their drinking, or make jokes about it
12. They may also feel bulletproof because it is not causing major problems in their life. They may worry that if they don’t drink as much as they normally do, that’s when their ability to function normally will be impaired. But like anyone else who abuses alcohol, it is having a serious effect and they need to stop

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Image: James Moffat/ bauersyndication.com.au