Disclaimer: I am not a licensed doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist. My insights come from the raw, unfiltered school of experience—writing a book on alcoholism, years in recovery rooms, and the personal battle of rehab. What follows are not clinical diagnoses, but the glaring red flags I, and countless others, have seen and ignored.

Alcoholism rarely starts with a crash. It begins with a whisper. A subtle shift in behavior that we easily explain away. But learning to hear those whispers—to see the warning signs—can be the difference between a life of freedom and a life of chains.

God gave us a spirit of discernment for a reason. It’s time to use it. Here are the signs that the line is being crossed.

The Behavioral Shifts

• The Rising Tolerance: That first drink used to be enough. Now it takes two, three, or four to feel the same effect. This isn’t a badge of honor; it’s your body screaming that it’s adapting to a poison. You are building a prison, one brick at a time.
• The Creeping Schedule: What was once a Friday night ritual becomes a Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday affair, too. The “why not?” becomes a daily mantra. The frequency is a silent alarm signaling that your want is morphing into a need.
• The Great Isolation: You start pulling away from friends who don’t drink as much, from family dinners where you’d be questioned, from your spouse to avoid the look in their eyes. You are trading real connection for a counterfeit companion in a bottle. 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” What worse company is there than isolation with a substance that lies to you?

The Real-World Consequences

• Slipping Work Performance: The Monday fog becomes a Tuesday haze. You’re calling in sick more, missing deadlines, or just mentally checked out. The thing that provides for your life is becoming secondary to the thing that’s destroying it.
• The Drinking-Centered Vacation: A true vacation is about rest, exploration, and connection. When the primary goal becomes “all-inclusive bar” or “which wineries are we touring,” it’s a sign that the drink has become the main character, and you’re just the supporting cast.

The Physical Cries for Help

Your body keeps the score. It will wave these red flags long before your life completely falls apart:

• Tremors or “The Shakes”: That slight quiver in your hands in the morning is a direct message from your central nervous system, begging for a break.
• Blackouts: This is more than forgetting a detail. It’s your brain, overwhelmed by poison, shutting down its ability to form memories. You are losing time, pieces of your own life.
• Killer Hangovers & Headaches: This is acute poisoning, not just “paying the price.” The debilitating pain is a bill coming due.
• Weight Gain & Lethargy: Alcohol is empty calories that disrupt your metabolism. The constant fatigue and physical slump aren’t just “getting older”; they’re the direct result of a body under constant attack.

There Is Hope: Your First Steps Out of the Darkness

If you see yourself in these warnings, do not despair. This is not the end of your story. This is the moment you were meant to find. Hope is not lost; it is waiting for you to reach for it.

1. Get on Your Knees and Pray. This is your first and most powerful step. You do not have to carry this burden alone. Surrender it. Matthew 11:28-30 offers this profound comfort: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”* Jesus is offering to carry this weight with you. Start the conversation with Him.
2. Walk into a Room of Hope. Go to an AA meeting. Walk in, sit down, and just listen. You will find a room full of people who have seen every warning sign you have, and have found a way through. You will be welcomed without judgment.
3. Make the Call. If the thought of facing the day without a drink feels impossible, you are not alone. Reach out to a crisis line. They are there to listen and guide you to local resources.
   • SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
   • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Seeing the warning signs isn’t a condemnation; it’s a gift of awareness. It is God’s grace giving you a chance to change course before you hit the wall.

Your life, your relationships, and your spirit are worth fighting for. Take that first brave step today.

Chris Mosser

Author of Grateful Truce & The AGI Dilemma