Video Transcription

Is your drinking becoming a problem?

I think you know if you drink quite often and if you’re drinking for reasons other than to be social. Your whole social life revolves around alcohol, and you’re starting to drink by yourself—I think that’s the main thing. If you’re spending all your money on alcohol and drinking too much, the attitude changes. People might say, “That’s not the same person.” You won’t like it, and it affects other people. It stops them from doing things when their judgment is really impaired.

If it’s affecting their education, personal life, or home life—whatever it may be—if it starts to impede other aspects of their life, I think it’s an issue. If people are realizing that their life is going down a different path than they normally would choose, if their emotions are becoming more pronounced, and their standard feeling of health and well-being is shifting, then understanding whether their drinking is becoming a problem is important.

They may be taking more risks, like drunk driving or unsafe sex. They may be coming away angry, more aggressive, or more teary. They might just be losing control of their normal day-to-day life. People I’ve come in contact with consistently say that drinking has taken them places they don’t want to go.

Usually, drinking is a result of other pressures in a person’s life. It may be to keep up with the status quo and their mates, it may be due to trouble at home, or it may be that they’re just not comfortable with themselves. If someone with a drinking problem comes to see me, I certainly explore those things with them and look at what triggers their drinking.

Friends are usually a good source of information, and talking to a GP is a great place to start. Looking in the phone book under alcohol and drug services, checking out local resources, or picking up pamphlets from youth services can also help. Taking responsibility for their drinking is an important step.

Alcohol is chemically addictive, but it’s also addictive when we use it as a way of coping with everyday life. In Australia, we often use alcohol as a way of celebrating, and historically, men have used it for many years in that way. Some start as young as 12 years old, even younger, by going to the pub after footy or other events. It becomes a celebratory substance.

When people first start drinking, they may not get hangovers or feel the after-effects as much as they do in later years. But the patterns of behavior they pick up at an early age can lead to a more addictive personality later on. Even if they don’t get hangovers, they may still crave alcohol more often because they’re chasing that plateau of enjoyment they’re seeking at the time.