Some people want to know how to treat a drinking problem before it develops into alcoholism.  Well the first thing you need to realize at this point is that if you are even considering this question, there is a good chance that it might already be alcoholism.  How can one tell the difference?  Well that is sort of up to you, and something that you must diagnose yourself.  You see, no one can really tell you if you are alcoholic or not….or rather, if they do, it does not matter.  It only matters when you decide that you are.

So here is one way you can tell: it will take you two months to do it, but at the end of the two months, you will know quite a bit more about yourself and about your condition.

The first 30 days you need to limit yourself to one drink every day.  No more.  Keep yourself to one drink per day, maximum.

That second 30 days you need to abstain from all alcohol entirely.  Period.

Also note what happens at the very end of the entire experiment, if you return to drinking, how quickly, how much, how frequently.

The idea is to try to get an objective observation of how all of these trials make you feel towards your drinking.  Do you resent the experiment itself?  If so then that is a pretty big indicator right there.

Most “normal” folks do not have a problem with a one drink per day limit.  This is not a difficult constraint for them to follow, even for 30 days.  There is no challenge in it, at all.  They could do this standing on their head.

For the alcoholic, completing both of these 30 day trials without any glitches and no resentment towards the trial itself would be very difficult.  Most would say impossible.  That is what makes it a decent method for diagnosing yourself.

Now if you decide that you are not really alcoholic, and merely have a drinking problem, then what should you do about it?

The bottom line is that if you are worried about developing alcoholism, the smartest move would be to not drink at all, period.  Yes, drinking has some benefits to it, both social and health-wise.  But these benefits are very, very minor.  Do not try to justify your drinking by arguing that these benefits are bigger than what they are.  You can easily abstain entirely from alcohol and still enjoy social interaction (even with others who are drinking!) and also enjoy great health.  This is not a way to rationalize drinking.  Nice try.

If you do think you simply have a problem with drinking, but not a true addiction, and you insist on continuing to drink, this is probably a mistake on your part.  Eventually, if you continue to drink large amounts, it is almost certain that dependence will develop, given enough time and enough alcohol abuse.  What you are doing is gradually rewiring your brain and your reward system in your body.  At some point it will quite possibly “take hold.”

So those who insist on continuing to drink should drink less frequently, and smaller amounts.  Take careful note if you resent doing either of those things as well.

The only way to prevent alcoholism entirely is to abstain from alcohol entirely.  If you think you are predisposed to the disease of addiction then you would be wise to do this.  It may be difficult now, but it is about a thousand times more difficult to quit if you are heavily addicted and dependent on alcohol on a daily basis.  Better to act early and take care of the problem when it is still manageable.