Many people who have an alcohol addiction don’t recognize that they have a problem until it’s too late. It’s easy to become unaware of how many drinks you have in a day or a week and not realize that your alcohol consumption is more than it should be.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends that people who are concerned that their level of drinking might require alcohol treatment start keeping tabs on all of their alcohol consumption. This can mean going as far as keeping a notebook to write down every beer, glass of wine or cocktail that they have.
One tip to control your level of drinking is to decide which days you are going to drink and how much you are going to drink ahead of time. This lets you go out to happy hour with your friends while setting goals about the amount of alcohol to consume. If you are unable to stick to your predetermined level of consumption, it could mean that you are a candidate for alcohol rehab.