As you might know, I got sober from alcohol in 2011. Every once in a while, I like to pop in with some podcast episodes that might help people who are considering sobriety or even just thinking about their own drinking patterns.  I’ve compiled a list of 10 signs you might have a problem with alcohol. Tune into this minisode as I dive a little deeper in each one.  You’re hiding booze and/or lying about how much you’re drinking  You’re spending a lot of energy covering up how much you drink.  You’re fighting a gut feeling about it.  You feel guilty, ashamed and/or embarrassed about your drinking.  You notice other people’s drinking habits. “Normal drinkers” tend to not notice how much  You think about drinking a lot.  The thought of living your life without alcohol scares you and you just can’t imagine it.  Every day feels like groundhogs day.  Get up, feel like shit from drinking too much. Whether it’s a dull hangover or just the guilt or shame from drinking as much as you did. You commit to not drinking that day. That lasts until around dinner time, where you find a reason to have just one drink, and before you know it, you’re back to where you started the day before. And it starts over again the next morning.  You very much look forward to occasions where you can drink a lot. Like Superbowl parties, your birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, etc. For me, any day that it was socially acceptable to start drinking around lunchtime and get drunk by dinner time was dreamy.  You get irritated and/or angry if there’s a social event without alcohol. Like a dry wedding, what? Or a restaurant with no liquor license. Or a kids birthday party that just has water and soda.  The bottom line of it is that our lives begin to revolve around alcohol and the feelings around it. If we’re not thinking about drinking, we’re feeling guilty or ashamed about it. We’re wondering if we drink too much. Wondering if our loved ones are noticing. Swearing we’ll only drink beer and wine from now on. Committing to drinking more water in between drinks. Saving calories or points to be able to drink more.  The thought of sobriety and recovery seems weird and uncomfortable-- not to mention the shame of identifying as an “alcoholic”.  Resources: Recovery Series The Writing Experience Book recommendations: I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!   MSN is supported by: We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/ Episode link: http://andreaowen.com/615 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices