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Figure out if the person’s tolerance has increased. Check if the person has tried to stop, but can't. Determine if the person tries to hide their drinking from others. Observe if the person uses alcohol to deal with withdrawal. Recall episodes of blackouts or memory loss.
Pay attention to how much alcohol your loved one consumes. Were they once only able to handle a few beers before becoming intoxicated, but now they can down an entire case? Needing more and more alcohol to get the same effects may indicate alcoholism. Another key sign that your loved one has alcohol dependence is them making several unsuccessful attempts to quit. Recall if you’ve heard them vow to stop drinking on multiple different occasions despite it never happening. Many alcoholics may be in denial about their situation and think they have it under control. They may even believe they can stop drinking, if only they tried. A common sign of alcoholism is a person lying about or trying to conceal their drinking habits. Maybe your loved one shows up at the bar an hour early so that others don't see how much they consume. They might keep a stash of alcohol where others can’t find it or pretend they are doing other things when really they are drinking. Have you ever seen your loved one drink early in the morning or mid-day to combat issues like shakiness, anxiety, depression, sweating, or headache? They may even need to drink alcohol to function normally because they are so used to having it in their system. People with alcohol dependence may start to experience withdrawal symptoms--like headache or shakiness--when the effects of alcohol wear off. When they drink again, these symptoms will disappear. One potentially dangerous consequence of chronic alcohol abuse is “blacking out” or forgetting things after consuming alcohol. During a blackout, the person may act as usual, but later be unable to recall what they said or did. If your loved one regularly blacks out after a night of heavy drinking, this is not normal. This is a sign of alcohol dependence.