Do I Have a Problem with Alcohol?

That's going to depend on a few things.  

First, it's worth noting that our culture is saturated with messages about alcohol.  Have you ever stopped to consider how many Super Bowl commercials are about alcohol?

I would bet about half.

We also live in Massachusetts.  Have you ever noticed how many package stores there are around here?  Several of my clients over the years have commented that you can't drive 3 miles without passing one.

Never mind how much drinking goes on at college campuses.  It's also worth acknowledging that approximately 50% of all sexual assaults on campus involve alcohol.  So, solve the drinking on campus and you help protect people from assault.  But just because drinking is common or "normal" doesn't mean it isn't a problem.  But it is how we tend to justify a potentially problematic behavior.

A problem becomes a problem when it begins to interfere with other things, when it begins to overflow the boundaries we put on it.

Is your drinking causes problems with family members or your spouse?
Is it interfering with sleep, work, or your ability to keep your commitments?
Or do you find you like or need to use alcohol in order to keep your commitments and endure your family?
Do you find it difficult to not drink if it is available?  Or find it difficult to stop once you have started?
Is it impacting your physical health?  Alcohol can damage any and every system in the body.
Do you need to drink more in order to achieve the same effect?
Are you chasing the feeling of being intoxicated?

All of these might indicate that alcohol is becoming a problem or is one already.  Don't let shame, guilt or embarrassment keep you from the help you might need.  This isn't a matter of willpower; it's a matter of pain.

​"Addiction isn't about genetics, or about choices, it's about pain." - Dr. Gabor Mate.