How do I know if I am using alcohol socially or am suffering from an addiction ?

I would first question a couple of things 1.Is alcohol consumption affecting your life adversely eg.work/relationships. 2.Is your alcohol consumption similar to that of your friends/peers (judge this carefully though they may be addicts too). 3.Do you feel you could live and function just as well without alcohol. So once you have considered these questions and if you still have concerns it might be best to ask someone outside the situation such as a medical proffesional, because regardless of whether it can be classed as an 'addiction' there are guidelines on consumption of alcohol for health reasons.

Alochol is so prevalant in our society that it can become difficult to ascertain if we have a problem with it or not. You are concerned about it, and that in itself may be a flag for you. The key is to try to determine if alcohol interferes with your day to day well-being, that is, if it interferes with your ability to socialize in healthy ways, if you cannot socialize without it, if it interferes with your happiness, if it interferes with your health ie: sleeping or eating well, if it interferes with your job or finances, then it may be a problem for you. For more information, we have a great self-help guide on 7cups and we also have a supportive Addiction Recovery community which is open even to those who aren't sure if they have a problem or not. More research and self-awareness will ultimately help you discover the answer. Good luck!

I would suggest consulting with a professional as there are official tests they're able to conduct; this is the official method of figuring whether one has an alcohol dependency issue. One red flag I can suggest is when the consumption of alcohol interferes with your personal or professional life. If you're reaching out, it means you're concerned and it's always beneficial to look into these things.

Quit drinking for a while. If you do FEEL the NEED of drinking some alcohol, you probably want to seek help.

socially, alcohol is used as a part time pleasure and not as an escape, if you find yourself drinking alcohol anytime you are under pressure or when stressed out or when in trouble, you are definitely almost being an addict, because socially you only drink when you off work and around your friends and the term you use is "have a good time"

The difference between drinking socially and having an addiction is the dependency you feel towards the substance. Do you feel the need to drink alcohol on a regular basis? Do you drink alcohol alone? If you are in a social situation and do not have access to alcohol, how do you feel? Exploring the answers to these questions can help you uncover the answer to your question.

There is a big difference between using alcohol socially and suffering from an addiction, if you drink mostly just when you're out with friends or people whom are drinking it's probably just socially but if you feel the need to drink just for no reason at any point, or feel like you should drink until you can't feel anymore, then it may be an addiction.

If you try to stay within the safe recommend amounts, then I would say you are a social drinker. A website called drinkaware.co.uk does a really good job of explaining how to understand you drinking and keep track. 2-3 units per day is recommended for a female, 3-4 for guys. They have tools that can help you keep track. Would you like to give this site a try? Also, what do you think? Are you drinking too much?

Social drinking, is being able to set a time and an amount of alcohol you consume in a given period. An addiction is waking up in the morning drinking just to get your day started, drinking because your happy, upset, depressed, confused, and any other emotion that you may feel obligated to drink.

I think when it stops being just for fun and starts to impact on your basic needs and social life. If if you have $50 left and your getting paid in 3 days with no food in the fridge and you still go buy a drink then you have a problem