Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence

What does alcohol dependence mean? Is it just a phrase people use?  Is it another term for alcoholism?  The truth is that alcohol dependency is something some people honestly do not even realize they have because they do not fit “normal patterns”.

For instance, a man has had the same job most of his adult life.  He is an educator.  He only drinks on weekends.  If he were an alcoholic, he would drink every day, right?  Not necessarily.  He could have a dependency on alcohol and it show up in other ways.

While he has been able to keep his drinking under control through the week, he does not realize that in reality, he is the one being controlled by the alcohol.  How is that?  Because he is turning more and more of his five day work weeks into four day work weeks.  He is using up his vacation days and his sick days faster than he did before.

He is quiet at work these days.  Where before he was optimistic and positive and full of life, now he quietly goes about his day counting the hours till he can get home.  The career he once loved has turned into just a job.

His social life consists of no social life.  He sits at home on weekends and holidays and drinks.  Drinking consumes his every waking moment except during the work week.  He is lucky, though, because he gets summers off.  Where before he used to sign up to be a summer school teacher, now the summer flies by as he stays on one continuous drunk from June to August.  He rarely goes anywhere except to work.  He backs out of dinners, special occasions and get togethers with friends unless they show up at his house.  All he is interested in is having that next drink.

While he tries to pass off his behavior as the latest flu or virus going around, the truth is he is having withdrawal symptoms because he isn’t drinking during his work week.  This makes the first day of not drinking especially hard as he is wore out and tired, shaking at times.  It would be easy to believe he really does have a bug of some kind but the truth is he is having withdrawal symptoms

The symptoms of alcohol dependence are real and they are visible. It is up to the person who has the addiction and/or his loved ones to bring it to the forefront so something can be done about it.