It can be easy, when married to someone, to overlook some of the tell-tale signs of alcoholism, especially when you always want to believe the best about your significant other. The idea that they may be alcoholic is a frightening one, and no one wants to have to come to terms with that reality, no matter how blatant the signs may be. However, the truth is that if your spouse is an alcoholic, the problem will only continue to get worse and worse until the inevitable end of jails, institutions and death. It’s scary to consider. Alcoholism is a terribly cunning disease, and it will constantly work against those afflicted until they have lost everything. It is possible to catch it and treat it before that happens though. You just have to know how to identify the signs.
There are several signs that could be indicative of an alcohol problem. Mood swings, or a drastic change in mood cycles is one of them. If you notice that your significant other is experiencing irritability often, contrasted by upswings of a seemingly positive emotional state, it could be indicative of an alcohol problem. This is because there is a euphoria that accompanies intoxication that is fervently sought after by those who have an alcohol problem, and when they don’t reach that euphoria, they can become irritable, depressed and angry. The mood swings will continue to become more and more drastic until they reach a point of seeing bipolar in nature.
You just have to know how to identify the signs.
Money problems are another sign. Ten dollars here…twenty dollars there. Alcohol costs money, and it becomes expensive when a constant habit is formed. Usually spouses are intertwined financially, so this can be an easy sign to spot if you have access to your spouse’s spending habits. Also, along with this kind of spending will be an uptick in being cryptic and dishonest about where the money is going. This is very common for drug addicts and alcoholics. They don’t want to admit that the money is going towards a habit that they know deep down is excessive, and will go to any length to hide that truth from you.
A decrease in sex drive can also be a common sign. There is no denying that the sex dies down as a relationship progresses, and it is reasonable to expect that your spouse may not want to have sex all of the time. However, when you notice that the desire for sex has gone to never, there is usually a problem associated with that. Alcohol becomes a relplacement for sex, and the artificial happiness caused by drinking becomes so powerful that your spouse will no longer feel the need or the desire to have sexual relations.
Alcohol becomes a relplacement for sex, and the artificial happiness caused by drinking becomes so powerful that your spouse will no longer feel the need or the desire to have sexual relations.
It is also very important to notice any changes in the amount of time your significant other is spending asleep Alcohol is a sedative, and so when your spouse drinks all the time, including during the day, they are going to want to take more naps, and sleep for longer. Therefore it is a very simple matter to spot when they are lying down for extended periods of time during the day, and still going to sleep for eight or more hours at night.
These signs are relatively easy to spot if you know what to look for, but they can also easily be overlooked if you are under the delusion that there is no problem. As it is stated before, no one wants to admit that the one they love has a problem with alcohol. It is paramount to notice these signs early on, and confront your spouse about the problem before it becomes a more significant one.