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I'd say one good indicator is to ask a family member what they think. My dad (may he rest in peace) insisted that he didn't have an alcohol problem and that he just enjoyed drinking. My mother and I could see with our own eyes that he was fooling himself.

This sounds very logical. I have to say though that I enjoy drinking on weekends. I do find myself hiding a little because my husband doesn't drink and he is very extreme in in self-discipline. Of course he expects the same from me and we obviously are all different. I asked my cousin who lives with me and she says I don't have a problem, but she happens to be a compulsive eater and I'm not sure about her judgement. My children are too little and the oldest has commented about the wine glasses in the kitchen, but then again her father has certainly instilled his views on her. I have never had a hang over or any terrible problems but I really do enjoy it too much. I have quit for some time (during pregnancy) and then tell myself I have no problem. I don't really over do it, but I certainly enjoy a few few glasses of wine on the weekends. Sometimes I do get the impression that I could be going down a dangerous slippery slope and this post is a good warning sign that I need to see where I'm going. Thanks.

Consider the source as I have absolutely no qualifications in this area other than own experiences with those close to me but I think another question might be "does drinking effect my life"? That is what you do (or don't do) in terms of your responsibilites and your relationship with your spouse and children.

The other thing that's convinced me to stop drinking (I was a very, very moderate drinker) is I don't know a single personal that woke up one day and said "hey, I think I want to be a drunk". In fact they were perfectly normal drinkers for many, many years and then one day it was like a switch being turned on.

I finally began to look at it as being the same as an allergy that eventually develops. One day you can eat a peanut with no problem and the next you eat one and swell up like a blimp. Seeing what drinking had done to others I figured I didn't need to play that particular game of chance.

Again, please consider the source and I don't offer it as a substitute for someone who really understands this problem but it might be something to consider.

mgist--
I started out with just two beers every evening,just to "take the edge off" and relax a little. Seven years later, I start drinking about 5-6:00 p.m., 7 days a week. Usual fare for the night could be 6-8 glasses of wine (those small bottles won't do; gotta get them biga$$ jugs. Sometimes I'll have 4-5-6 beers, but that just doesn't seem to cut it, so I'll have a few shooters (4? 5? 6?) to "liven it up" at bit. When our local bar is having a Karaoke party, the shots just go up and down the bar, and I have no idea how much I've consumed.

I only started drinking again about 7 years ago, and this is how insidiously it crept up on me.

I have an intact family,a wonderful marriage. I am an older nursing student pulling a 4.0 on top of taking care of a family. But I feel myself teetering over the abyss that I KNOW is to come, so I've decided to spare myself and my family all the heartache that WILL occur. I grew up with an alcoholic mom and grandfather in the house. My mom almost died a couple of weeks ago from severe liver failure. She may not be out of the woods yet.

Do you have a family history of alcoholism? It's so easy to say, "I'll never make the same mistakes my dad did." But there are behaviors and family dynamics that have been pounded into your head since you were little, not to mention the genetic disposition to alcoholism.

I was starting down that slippery slope, but caught my bearings before I fell. You're just looking out over the edge. If you have doubts, there's probably a reason for that. I also, REALLY enjoyed to drink, even when it wasn't to excess.

This is my third day sober thanks to this thread. With Christmas coming up, I quote Lloyd Bridges in "Airplane!" "I picked a hell of a month to quit drinking!"

Best wishes to you.