There are a number of different ways to pick up on the signs and symptoms of alcoholism or drug addiction. Usually your instincts will tell you something is wrong, but we have a tendency to second-guess ourselves so some ‘hard facts’ are usually required.

Your opinion can also be affected depending on what perspective you’re looking at the problem from. Is it you that you’re worried about and so want to be able to recognize the signs of addiction for your own understanding?

Or are you concerned about a spouse, child, lover, or friend? There aren’t necessarily any infallible guidelines, but hopefully I can provide you with a few things to look out for and should you then want more information, just visit the links provided to my website.

A couple of the main physical signs of alcoholism or drug addiction are liver problems and high blood pressure, which can cause severe tiredness or even result in things like strokes and heart attacks. But unless you see a Doctor in time, you often won’t pick on them until it’s too late.

Signs of alcoholism and drug addiction that you are possibly likely to pick up on sooner – are for example making promises (even if it’s just to yourself) that you’re going to cut down or stop, which are obviously not kept; needing more and more to get the feeling you want; and withdrawals that become worse and worse.

For me the key indicator of a real problem is when your using or drinking starts to impact your sense of self, and when day to day things that have been fine before become effected – like work, school, relationships etc.

Another good way to test for addiction is to use psychometric type addiction and alcoholism tests – which are mostly very accurate in identifying a genuine addiction problem. I don’t unfortunately have enough space to put them here – but feel free to visit my website to try one.

So, being able to identify an addiction in yourself or someone you care about, can be done in a few different ways. Read up on the various symptoms and signs, try a psychometric type test, and you should then have a reasonably good idea if indeed there is a genuine problem.

Before you start this important conversation talking to your kids about drugs, you must remember, this conversation isn’t about you in the first place. This is about your kid and to warn them on the dangers of using drugs. If you remember this from the start, you wont be afraid to say or feel whats on your mind.

You also can’t be afraid to speak out just in case your kid come out and ask you did you do drugs when you were young because it might happen. In my opinion, you should tell the truth right from the start. This way you wont risk losing credibility if your kid somehow find out that you did do drugs in the past. You either give a honest answer or no answer at all.

The point you’re trying to make should be what really matters. Don’t beat around the bush – let them understand you don’t want them to use drugs and definately give your reasons why. I feel that if you dont give them a reason they just might do it anyway. If you have a lot of reasons that can last all day that’s even better.

Let your kid know what you have learned being around the culture where drugs are a fact of life. You can talk about examples on TV, or if you have an experience of your own. If you seen too many examples of how drugs can change a person life for the worse. Just let your kid know what you have learned.

Make sure you ask them if they feel pressured into using drugs because some of their friends are experimenting with to try to make you fit in. If thats the case, let them know that’s never a very good reason to do drugs.

When you do talk to your kid, you will anticipate that your child first reaction about drugs will be very quiet. You want a two way conversation about the subject. Ask them what do they think? Ask them if it’s a subject their friends talk about? Ask them what they think of celebrities who use drugs. Keep asking questions and listen to the answers.

Before you even start this conversation, you better be calm and try not to raise your voice. If you do lose your temper, try to catch yourself. If the situation is not going well, suggest talking about it another time. It’s okay to admit to them that talking about this conversation is not easy for you either.

To sum this up, it’s very difficult to even know how to talk to your kids about drugs. The most important aspect of the whole situation you have to remember, this is about your child’s future and hopefully when you talk to them it should be much easier for yourself. Good Luck!

If you are even reading this, then it stands to reason that you have been asking this question already. There is no single answer to this question, but there are a number of things which you should ask yourself to make this determination. If you’re currently trying to find the answer to this question, then read the three questions which follow – they can indicate that it’s time to seek out some help for your alcohol addiction.

Have I missed school or work in the previous month as a result of my drinking? If so, how much have I missed? If you have missed more than one day due to your drinking, then it is certainly tie to get help for your alcohol addiction.

A guy at an AA meeting once said that he started by having a few drinks after work; this progressed to having a few drinks before work – and then it became a few drinks during work. Once he was fired for this behavior, he started having drinks instead of work. Of course, you shouldn’t let things go this far before getting treatment. However, if you are missing work as a result of your drinking, you probably need to look for treatment for alcohol addiction.

Have I been hiding my drinking from my family. Do you tell your family that you are working late or running errands when you are actually going to a bar? Do you wait until your spouse is asleep before you begin drinking? These behaviors are because you want to keep your drinking a secret and avoid having conflict with your family; who have probably been concerned about your drinking habits. If you are hiding your drinking, then you are probably dealing with an alcohol addiction and should seek treatment.

Have I recently had trouble with law enforcement? Drinking can cause you all kinds of legal trouble, from drunk driving to domestic violence. If you’ve driven a car while impaired or found yourself in some other legal trouble due to excessive drinking, then you probably need help for your addiction.

Acknowledging that you have a problem with alcohol is the first step to recovering from alcohol addiction. This is something you can’t do alone – but you don’t have to! There is plenty of support out there which can help get you into recovery.

Alcohol addiction has no cure, but there are effective treatments which can keep you sober and living a healthy life. The sooner you or your loved one starts with a reputatble program, the better your chances for recovery.