When you are pulled over by a cop, but that problem should never get that far

When you're lying about it, hiding it, and doing it alone, and yes, when the police have to get involved.

I think it's a problem when you need it, for any reason - to wake up, go to sleep, calm down, get rid of a headache - any reason. Also, when you enjoy getting drunk to the point that you no longer have control over your actions or words, then that's also a problem, because I don't think that should be enjoyable or desirable. Finally, I think alcohol can be a problem when it is introduced to people who are not old enough to understand what alcohol can do to a person and what the consequences can be of losing control of yourself.

Once it starts rising on your priority list. You shouldnt put it above other things, get mad if you cant have any, or go out of your way to get some. Its once it begins to control your everyday activites or even weekend activities. There is a such thing as "weekend alcholholism" and a variety of other kinds. If you find that youre thinking of it a lot, constantly saying "why not?", and drinking just to drink, its become a problem.

When you have to have a drink. It may be early in the morning, anytime, any day. That drink will lead to more drinks and they become the most important part of your life. It gets to a point when you can't have a drink, a single beer. If he does, he has to keep on drinking until he becomes completely drunk. You can not be trusted anymore by your family, friends and coworkers. When you get to that point, that's when alcohol starts to become a serious problem.

I've heard that the first sign of a problem is when you pass out and when you wake up, you can't remember how you got there.

When you say to yourself....ugggg I will NEVER do that again....and then you do. I've been sober 4 years and counting....life is soooo much sweeter on the sober side :o)

When it starts interfering with life effectiveness - job, family interaction. There's a flippant T-shirt: I don't have an alcohol problem. I drink I get drunk I pass out NO PROBLEM Right......:o(

For me it is the moment it passes over my lips into my mouth.

alcohol of any sort is a problem when you "need it"

When you stop drinking!

When you "use" it to alter your mood, or you "need" it to function.

Alcohol becomes a problem when it begins to interfere with ones social and/or occupational fuction. This is dificult to assess because one of the symptoms of alcoholism is DENIAL that certain things/problems exist. Other symptoms of a problem: blackouts, DUIs, DTs, daily intoxication, BUT the true identification of a problem can only come from ones own honest assessment of their situation.

When you have black outs , don't show up for work because of drinking , fighting , and always making sure you never run out - Hide it from others and Drinking and Driving + 5 Great Question

When you can't last a week without being drunk, or looking forward to it all week, or get antsy if they skip a week. That is obsession/addiction.

Addiction is normally described as when someone abuses a substance daily for more than a week. However I personally consider alcohol a problem when you wake up...and ask for a beer. Or when your on your death bed because of drinking, and asking for a beer. (both things my father did before he died, the second one is actually very funny if you were there)

When alcohol makes a decision for you. At that point, your natural course of action has been turned over to it, in a small but significant way.

When alcohol ceases being the problem and starts causing the problems. The trouble with this is that alcoholics can't see when that change occurs.

Alcohol becomes a problem when you lose focus and cannot determine what it is doing to you and your health and you are in denial.

to be truthful, probably right from the onset .

alcohol is never a problem...alcohol is the answer to life everyday problem...

When you run out!!

when you pass from liking a drink to craving a drink

When it takes over your life.

When I drink it!

When you depend on it to keep you sane.

When that internal "off" switch doesn't work any more and there is no control on the amount that you drink. Also, when you are a totally logical person otherwise, yet when drinking, all logical thinking goes out the window.

When the moment you wake up and have to have a drink!

When someone else says your drinking is a problem....the drinker never sees it the same way!

When you wake up on the floor of an unfamilar bathroom in the morning!

When it is affecting your ability to function in the real world.

When you are depending on it for something. Like if you need to drink to have a good time. Or you need to drink to feel normal.

When you spill it on the floor.

When you absolutely must have the next drink.

I think when you start to drink alone, when its not so much of a social lubricant, but an outlet for your daily frustrations. If the people who love you see it as a problem and you think they are just overreacting... chances are they are just looking out for your best intrests and its become a problem!

The other answers are good, but a useful scientific one is that the government determined and announced after years of study that a daily intake above three ounces of hard liquor (that would be three glasses of one or a glass and a half of fortified wine or two and a half cans of beer) is toxic and will lead to degeneration of health. And of course if that's your daily intake, it won't stay at that level; it'll get bigger with time, either slowly or quickly. A valuable number to remember is Russia's: average daily intake is 192 grams. When you eliminate children and allow that the average woman drinks less, it works out to an average dose of one pint per day per man. That's five times too much.

When you start revolving things around it. If alcohol is something that you budget for, something you plan and wait for, something that you think about often, etc, then it is a problem. My ex-brother in law started budgeting their food budget to the point where they ate plain bologna sandwiches most meals but he had beer all month. That was when everyone stopped making it seem like no big deal. It's sad that it got that far though.

Sip number one.

When I run out.

When you use it for any reason other than recreation. (Habit, Feeling, Tremors, Escape, Depression etc.)

When you start to need it to have a good time.

When you wake up on a bathroom floor and don't recognize the bathroom you are in...

when you cant find your panties...anywhere...

If you reach to a situation when you become addicted to it, and facing some problems with alcohol. Long-term risks inlcude liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers, and literal shrinkage of the brain. Alcohol use is the second leading cause of dementia; one simple ages quicker on alcohol. (3) But professionals today are worried about a steady increase in teen alcohol abuse and the possible negative health effects. Source: http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensandalcohol.html

Alcohol becomes a problem when you become dependent on it. There is nothing wrong with the occasional alcoholic beverage, but when you feel like you cannot have a good time without it or it controls your life, it is a major problem.

At the point of sale.

When ur hunched over the toliet, retching from a horrible hangover...im glad to say ive never really had this problem...but ive heard about it from friends...and my brothers.

When it is affecting the relationship you have with family, co-workers and friends.

when its a neccessity but no longer a choice

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THEY DRINK TO MUCH?

I finally am in a great mindset after being the Van Wilder at my college. I was a pothead/casual weed smoker which quickly progressed into 3 grams a day habit/social cigarette smoker which quickly progressed to 1 1/2 packs a day/drank a decent amount/dabbled in lsd and shrooms/and tons of legal yet to be tested buy on the internet drugs ie: salvia and so forth. I was what they call "self medicating" yet I didn't realize I was or why I was. Let me first start with a good old background story/cheesy montage. I was never a great student in school... ever. Yet the last I was...was stupid, even though after awhile I was having serious doubts. I took on the role of class clown. I rarely did my homework instead looking outside at the kids playing on recess. why couldn't I be out there playing instead of doing these boring assignments. I would constantly pass by the skin of my teeth due to my ability to charm pretty much anyone. Overall throughout my entire school career K-12, I was acting in order to fit in, but on the inside I was feeling so disconnected/lonely from everyone. The absolute worst part was not having any answers for why I was behaving as I was, and believe me its not as if me/my parents didn't try. In elementary school they thought it was ADD, got tested and wasn't. They said I just had a problem with authority so on and so forth. Fast Forward to my Senior Year in College. I got to the point where I didn't want to/couldn't fake it anymore. I was seriously contemplating suicide because I personally couldn't deal with the world and how it was treating me. I felt so low about myself self, had no self esteem, wasn't eating at all, just smoking what I came to realize, tons and tons of money I would charm from parents/earn from jobs. I willingly told my parents how I was feeling one weekend when I was home. This was after I accidentally pick up and read a book at home "An Unquiet Mind" that my mother had laying around. I got only a few chapters in and began to cry because it was honestly the first time I was able to ever fully relate to someone/something...ever!. The words felt as if they were my words, and I felt so much for the writer, it was life changing. I had heard the word Bipolar/ manic depression mentioned before, but I never really gave them any thought. Turns out it runs in my family on my mother's side, which makes the possibility of her children developing it higher. With the support of my parents I took a medical withdrawl from my final semester, in which I went to probably 5 of the 50 classes total. Yet when you have a medical reason, man do people let you get your way. Not saying you should abuse it because that won't get you anywhere. I really didn't care about school anymore and would rather have said fuck it, but it saved my ass in a situation that I thought was hopeless and essentially allowed me to stand up for myself and my illness. I willingly entered myself into a inpatient treatment facility which was followed by a few months of out patient behavioral therapy. I pretty much had to learn how to live, but this time...really. The stigma of mental hospitals may still be there, but let me tell you, this was more of a resort than a hospital. what I found was 90% of the people I met there were exactly like me, it was amazing. I was there for 10 days in which they tested me and put me on medications that would help my situation (Seroquel XR 200mg as a mood stabilizer (It is a miracle drug that has numerous uses for tons of different conditions) and Lexapro for an antidepressant. Flash forward 1 1/2 years and here I am. Medications have changed slightly, still on seroquel and have no idea how I slept for the 20 years before it. Wellbutrin is my new antidepressant and it completely kills the craving to ever have a cigarette ever again, amazing! anddd here's the catch, Adderall XR for none other than ADHD. I am college graduate and yes their may be a recession occurring within our time, but frankly ever since the day I was put on medication, I honestly was given a new lease on life, a true second chance! I know that if I can put up with Bipolar disorder/adhd/depression unmedicated for 20 years, I can absolutely accomplish anything in this world, sky is the limit. If you find yourself self medicating with pot/cigarettes/alcohol/and other drugs, truly ask yourself, what is the reason I am doing this to myself, for there is always a reason. It took me reaching absolute rock bottom to realize my reason, but it doesn't have to for you. Even in the last few years knowledge of medication has improved ten fold. They know more now about mental health conditions then say 10 years ago when they new nothing. Everyone is different and it will take time to find your perfect balance of medication. Figure that you are willing to be patient with the process because afterall unlike the SAT's, these meds can prepare you for the rest of your life. There are a lottttt of people that give up way to easily thinking that a certain medication didn't work therefore none will work. Medication can do 50% of the work. The other half comes down to personal willpower, you can't expect to get better overnight, it is a process of day by day taking one step at a time. From my empathetic heart, best of luck turning your lives around, it is never to late, NEVER, to improve the quality of your life forever. Learn from my experience. For all you pot smokers out there, I feel ya. I thought weed was helping my anxiety, but in reality it was making it worse/ and creating even more problems. Like alcohol, Smoking pot on a regular basis can seriously damage your chemical balance of your lovely brain. The weed of today ain't no dirt from the 60's, hell its not even dro anymore, it is extremely powerful. Let the medication do its job. If you want to smoke, I can't say I encourage it because even though I may think it gets a bad reputation due to ignorance. You can get in serious situations with the law, which will impede your road to your new life tremendously. Be smart, everything in moderation/nothing and I can't emphasize this more,NOTHING while driving any type of automobile. Especially don't sell marijuana. Selling weed, as easy as the money is, is the number one easiest way to get seriously busted being that it is so prevalent and available. Also there are always people out there who themselves have been busted and are now on the laws side in order to help their situation. Be smart

Well, my husband was an alcoholic for awhile...and me too when I was a teen. So ive lived both sides. Its a problem, when somebody asks you not to drink...but you do anyways. Its a problem when you drink only, to get drunk. Its a problem when you drink every day. Its a problem when you get drunk in the morning. Its a problem when you get drunk before work. Its a problem when you start hiding it. Its a problem when you black out... Its a problem when it makes you angry. Its a problem when people tell you, you have a problem. Its a problem when you buy cheap cheap liquer. Its a problem when you think about it all the time. Its a problem when it becomes habit. Its a problem when you do it, to get rid of your problems. Its a problem when you pass out all the time. Its a problem when you stumble and fall to the floor. Its a problem when you have no family anymore. Its a problem when you get a DUI. Its a problem when you get into physical confrontations. ITs a problem when you deny the problem...yet know its their. Its a problem when you cut back on hygien. Its a problem, when you become sad about it. Its a problem when you try to stop drinking, but cant. Its a problem when you cant say no. Its a problem................and if you never fix the proble, YOU WILL DIE.

When i'm out !

WWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT DDDIIIDDDDDDDDD YYYYYYYOOOOUUUUUUU SSSSAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY????????????

When you go from drinking right after work to drinking right when the sun comes up...

When it is affecting the people around you in a negative way.