How do I know if my drinking or drug use is becoming an addiction or a problem? I can stop any time I want...

It's a problem when it decreases your functionality. This functionality drop can be social, personal, or even work/school related. That drop is how you know that substance use is something you may need to address.

I think the best way to know if it has become a problem is to attempt to quit. When you have an addiction, there are withdrawal symptoms. Even if you don't feel emotionally dependent on the drink or drug, your body develops an attachment to it and you will find that out very soon when you try to quit. If you do those things in moderation and really can quit whenever you want to with no side effects, that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't an addiction. That just means it isn't enough of an addiction that your body is dependent on it, but if you are emotionally dependent on it that can be just as bad. You can always ask a professional for help figuring it out, that's nothing to be ashamed of or scared of :) I hope this helps!

you can tell if your drinking or drug use is becoming a problem when you feel like you have to do it all the time or do it really ofte like if you do it everytime you feel sad or just do it nonstop all day, another way to tell is if you feel like you are nothing without alchohol so you feel like you have to use it to be interesting or have peersonality and drug use is quite easily addictive so if you find yourself using a drug multiple times in a week you are most likely adicted.