The 5pm Friday after-work glass of Provence rose is a tonic that so many of us rely on. There’s only so much tapping on a keyboard, staring at a screen and appeasing your micromanaging boss one can take, which is what the weekend was invented for, ringing it in with a clink of glasses.

But for some, it’s a worry. Come on. We all have that one friend that likes a drink.

Usually, they’re nothing but fun when a bit tipsy but, more recently they’ve become a little intolerable. They get into trouble now and then, show up to work still smelling like cocktails and they pull a face on their Insta-stories that draws a chuckle from their followers.

But because booze is now such a pillar of our culture, it’s not always easy to know when someone has gone from enjoying a drink to needing one. That’s why we’ve pulled together a list of sign that may suggest your friend has become reliant. It’s become a problem.

  1. The Lying And Hiding

Nothing screams ‘issue’ more than someone that’s blatantly lying about their alcohol intake. You’ve found bottles of gin hidden in the laundry basket, vodka underneath the passenger seat in the car, and took a gulp of bottled water only to discover that wasn’t water. The only reason to lie about or hide booze is to lie about or hide a problem. Simple.

2.Wrong Side Of The Law

Booze makes us do stupid things, but these things become a risk alcoholics are willing to take. Driving under the influence, assault accusations, drunk and orderly, theft – there are loads of issues to be had in the eyes of the law, of which you can visit www.klgdefense.com to learn more about them. Anything that has gotten this far, especially on the regular, has clearly become a problem. Many people who enjoy a drink don’t realise just how over the limit they are when driving their car, which sadly causes many road accidents each year. Car accident lawyers (try this here to see an example) work closely with those involved in collisions, and drunk drivers quite often end up being prosecuted.

  1. Major Bad Mood Swings

The thing about alcohol is it’s a depressant. That’s why it wreaks such havoc on people’s mental health. Anger, irritable, violet – they’re all common side-effects of boozing. When someone has become hooked on the juice, however, these mood swings hang around whether they’ve had a drink or not. Drinkers tend to develop depression as a result.

  1. It’s Affecting Work

When you have an addiction to something, the only thing that matters is getting that fix. It’s such a tough battle, but one that will not lose at any costs. It might be not showing up for work, it might be showing up late too often, showing up still drunk or leaving work early. There is a myriad of ways someone could put their job at risk as a result, and every single one of them is a clear sign that alcohol has too much power over their life and actions.

  1. Memory Loss

The blackout is a common cause of drinking too much alcohol. It brings about a state of amnesia that’s bad for tons of reasons, not least of which is they don’t remember how bad they got last night. It helps them deny their problem and that can be infuriating for any bystander.

+++ Collaborative Post +++

Image source