Do You Have A "Drinking Problem?"

Are you a "problem" drinker?
Do you have a drinking "problem"?

I am starting to feel the same way about the whole "drinking problem" label as I do about the word "alcoholic" - it doesn't feel like a very productive label because it's SUPER misleading and subjective. When I used to think about someone with a "drinking problem" I would picture someone sweating their insides out in a rehab centre somewhere or drinking out of a paper bag under a bridge.

There are HUNDREDS of online quizzes for you to take to decide whether or not you have a "drinking problem" but I'd like to take a second to reframe this because so many of those quizzes ask us HOW MUCH we are drinking.

But "how much" isn't a helpful question. It didn't matter if I had one glass of wine or finished the bottle, the alcohol was still causing me to live a dulled-down version of my life.

So my question to you is not, do you have a problem, but how is alcohol getting in the way?

One glass could be getting in the way of your sleep, because even one glass does that. (I didn't know that either.)

Two glasses could be getting in your way because alcohol increases your adrenaline and cortisol levels and increases your stress levels and gives you hangxiety.

Three glasses could mean you're missing time with your children in the evenings when all they want to do is hang with you, but you'd rather be numbing out.

Four glasses could mean you don't have the motivation or stamina to find your purpose, what lights you up, and what makes you feel truly connected to God.

So if you're wondering if you have a drinking "problem" can I encourage you today my friend? It has nothing to do with how much you're drinking. It has everything to do with how alcohol is interfering with you living life to the fullest!