Most people never want to admit they drink too much. They call themselves the occasional drinker or at best, a social drinker. Even a clear case of alcoholism would elicit denial from the person. Clearly, you’d someone to convince you that you drink too much before you can accept it.
Even at that, you might still need a bit more convincing to actually decide to do something about the drinking problem. Yes, whether you like it or not, when you drink too much (without being a certified alcoholic), you now have a big problem on your hands.
Even before the problem graduates to debilitating health issues like liver cirrhosis, there are many other ways you could harm yourself. That is why it is important to know if you drink too much, or you are really the moderate drinker you claim to be.
So how would know you drink too much? What behavioral patterns are related to drinking? Read on to find out.
1. Frequent urinating at night
Waking up at night to urinate frequently could be because you drank too much water. Or it could be related to something else apart from too drinking.
But, if you have the habit of drinking before bedtime, then it should be a cause for worry if you pee often at night.
In a normal system, the body produces a hormone, Vasopressin, to cut down the amount of urine produced while we are sleeping.
But if you drink too much, the body produces less of the hormone. Without the hormone, the kidney produces more urine than normal. Hence, the frequent visit to the toilet.
2. Dry eyes in the morning and dehydration
Too much drinking is one of the main causes of dehydration. That is why you feel like drinking lots of water after a late heavy drinking when you wake up.
Apart from that, too much alcohol in your body ends up in the eyes. This dries up the tears, interfering with the lubricating effect of tears. The result is dry, itchy eyes.
3. Always looking forward to your evening drink
If the best part of your day, every day, is that period when you are free for a drink or two, it is likely you are drinking too much.
You might think your ability to avoid drinking immediately you think of booze is a sure sign you are not an alcoholic. But the fact is, it was the thought of booze that sustained you through the day.
In this case, the alcohol is like an anti-depressant for you and what you are doing is self-medication.
4. Upset stomach
Regular stomach problems like diarrhea is a sign your drinking is getting out of hand. The diarrhea is due to the fact that your body can’t absorb excess fluids.
Closely related to this is the stool that is difficult to flush. This could be a sign that your liver is finding it difficult to break down fats properly. It is the alcohol interfering with the liver’s natural functions.
This impairment could also affect the color of your urine. So expect to see dark colored urine as a result of too many dead blood cells and other waste product improperly filtered.
5. Terrible sleep
Have you ever observed how drunks are restless while sleeping? Though you might not get drunk from your drinking, it would surely affect your sleep if you drink too much.
The alcohol interferes with the normal operations of the part of the brain that controls sleep. And with inadequate sleep, you miss out on all the important benefits of good sleep.
6. Irritable
Drinking too much has a negative impact on a good night’s sleep. Your natural sleep cycles are fragmented due to the sugars released into your system by the booze.
This leaves you tired when you wake up in the morning. The result is that you tend to be out of sorts and easily irritated
7. Memory problems
Aside from becoming Irritable, the lack of sleep can affect your productivity during the day.
This is more pronounced when you find it difficult to remember important things. It could get worse as you might also forget the little things that might add up to become very important.
8. Can stay sober for a long time.
Some people see it as a badge of honor that they can drink several glasses without showing signs of being tipsy. In certain circumstances, this is a good thing as it could be embarrassing if you get drunk or tipsy in public.
However, the downside to this is simply that you drink too much. Your body has, in effect, built up a tolerance to drink. Which means the more alcohol you take, the greater the negative effects on your body.
The simple fact is this: alcohol is broken down into its components part in your body. And one harmful component is ethanol which is very toxic to the body. So drinking too much means too much ethanol in your body.
It is this ethanol and other toxins that actually destroy organs like the liver.
9. Dental issues
Even your teeth and mouth feel the effects of too much drinking. No matter how great your teeth look when you smile, that excessive drinking is leaving its mark.
Too much drinking leaves stains on the inside of your teeth and between the teeth. If you like white wine and beer, be sure the protective enamel on your teeth are being gradually eroded.
What to look it for are yellowing and sensitive teeth.
So, these are some of the issues that could crop up if you drink too much.
Though these could be as a result of other health issues, noticing these signs if you drink could help you. For instance, you could stop or reduce your intake of alcohol.
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Cheers.
