I Drink Every Night – Does That Make Me An Alcoholic?

For many, alcohol is consumed in social environments.  In contrast, others drink alcohol at home to relax and relieve stress, pessimistic thoughts and mental health disorders.

Although drinking alcohol every night does not necessarily make you an alcoholic, if you are worried that you have developed an alcohol addiction, it is essential to understand how alcoholism is defined.

It is also important to review how much alcohol is safe to consume each week, the side effects that come hand-in-hand with drinking too much alcohol, and the support that is available to you.

To help you answer the question “I drink every night –  does that make me an alcoholic?”, we have provided a wealth of information that we hope will assist you below.

Please remember that our team is on hand to provide guidance, should it be needed.  We welcome you to contact us directly to determine whether drinking every night has caused you to become addicted to alcohol.

Defining Alcoholism

If you drink every night and find yourself questioning whether that makes you an alcoholic, understanding how alcoholism and alcohol addictions are defined is a great starting point.

As defined by Drink Aware, alcoholism is essentially a “strong, uncontrollable desire to drink alcohol”.

Contributing to the above definition,  Alcohol.org has further defined alcoholism and alcohol addictions as “chronic, relapsing diseases that see an individual consuming alcohol in large volumes for an extended period”.

From the above information, it can be understood that if you experience desires and cravings for alcohol and repeatedly consume large volumes of alcohol that see you exceed the recommended alcohol units, you may be at risk of developing an alcohol addiction.

You may have even already developed an addiction to alcohol.

How Much Alcohol Is Safe To Consume?

As touched on above, individuals who frequently exceed the recommended alcohol units are at greater risk of being classified as an alcoholic.

When asking the question, “I drink every night – does that make me an alcoholic?” it is crucial to consider that the amount of alcohol you drink every night will play a significant role in whether you are classified as an alcoholic.

Although the NHS reports that there is no completely safe drinking level, it is highly advised that men and women do not consume more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

This equates to eight small glasses (125ml) of wine a week or six regular (ABV 4%) pints of beer, lager or cider a week.

If you drink over the recommended amounts of units on a daily or nightly basis, you may well be abusing alcohol.  Sadly, alcohol abuse has many repercussions.

In addition to being at risk of developing an alcohol addiction, if you drink alcohol every night and consume more than the recommended amounts of alcohol units, you also put yourself at risk of developing illnesses and medical conditions related to alcohol consumption.

Considering this, it is essential to review how many units of alcohol you consume.  You should also take into consideration whether you experience any unpleasant side effects that are associated with drinking alcohol.

Signs and Symptoms Of An Alcoholic

Understanding how much alcohol is safe to consume, if you worry that the amount of alcohol you drink is dangerous, there are many signs and symptoms that you can look out for that will highlight whether an alcohol addiction is impairing your life.

To help you, we have outlined a number of the signs and symptoms that will essentially arise if an alcohol addiction is present below.

• –     Intense cravings for alcohol
• –     Recurring headaches and nausea
• –     Frequent mood swings
• –     Changes in your physical appearance
• –     Heightened anxiety
• –     Insomnia
• –     Becoming extremely paranoid
• –     Feeling somewhat irritable and restless
• –     Consuming alcohol to help you relax or combat stress
• –     Drinking alone at home
• –     Hiding your alcohol consumption from others
• –     Binge drinking in social settings
• –     Isolating yourself from your loved ones

In addition to the above, if you consume alcohol on a nightly basis to alleviate negative thoughts and feelings and find that you have become reliant on alcohol to help you navigate day-to-day life, it is likely that you have unfortunately developed an alcohol addiction.

If you drink alcohol every night and have experienced any of the signs and symptoms noted above, we recommend contacting us.  Our admissions team can help you ascertain whether you have become addicted to alcohol.

Support For Alcohol Addictions

Should you find yourself asking, “I drink every night – does that make me an alcoholic?” and have experienced the signs and symptoms associated with alcohol addictions, there is a wealth of support available to assist you in reducing your alcohol intake.

In some instances, if you abuse alcohol, attending a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous may be highly beneficial.

However, if, upon contacting our team, we believe that you have indeed developed an addiction to alcohol, we will suggest attending our residential rehab for treatment.

Before attending our rehab, we will conduct a pre-admission assessment with you over the telephone.  This assessment will enable our admissions team to find out more about you, your drinking habits, and the physical and psychological impact consuming alcohol has had on your life.

In doing so, our team will recommend treatment and ensure that you are provided with a suitable admissions date to commence treatment.

Upon entering our centre, you will embark on a personalised treatment programme entailing detoxification, rehabilitation, therapy and aftercare support.

Combined, all of our treatments will allow you to understand how your alcohol addiction has arisen.  Our treatments will also equip you with coping strategies that will essentially help you make a long-term recovery.

Contact Us Today To Ascertain Whether You Have Become Addicted To Alcohol

If you drink every night and are worried that doing so makes you an alcoholic, we welcome you to contact us to ascertain whether you have become addicted to alcohol.

Our admissions team can discuss your alcohol consumption with you and help you gauge whether an alcohol addiction is impairing your life.

Sources

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/research/research-and-evaluation-reports/alcohol-consumption-uk

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcoholism

https://www.alcohol.org/alcoholism/

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/know-your-alcohol-units/

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John Gillen - Author - Last updated: February 15, 2024

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.