The difference between social drinking and alcoholism can be a thin line. While many people drink socially and even at home, they may not be alcoholics. So it can be hard to tell when that line has been crossed. However, preventing addiction before it happens is a better solution than slowly descending into full-blown alcoholism.

So here are five signs you are drinking too much. If you or someone you know starts exhibiting one or more of these signs, one should take definitive steps to start curbing their drinking. This can save a person from a lifelong struggle with addiction, if one recognizes the warning signs early.

1. You Hide Your Drinking From Family And Friends

When someone goes out for a drink only occasionally, the individual doesn’t mind mentioning this to friends and family. However when someone starts drinking every night at home or seems to be drinking in excess to the point of getting drunk, that’s when one starts fudging the truth when talking to friends and especially family.

This is a big warning sign, and means that the person knows that alcohol is starting to become addictive.

2. You Drink Instead of Doing Activities You Used To Enjoy

Whether its hanging out with friends, going to church, or even going to see a movie, if you start drinking instead of doing these activities something is seriously wrong. This shows that drinking has shifted from a social activity to an activity that you base your life around.

Instead of focusing on what’s important in life you are making alcohol the focus of your life. This is a big sign that you are drinking too much.

3. Calling In Sick To Work

A person who is drinking too much may feel sick the next day and call in to work with another excuse. Or in the worst case scenario, not call in at all and decide they want to drink more instead of going to work and lose their job. This means that alcohol has started to become top priority and is negatively affecting the quality of one’s life.

When someone loses perspective on what is most important in life that means someone is drinking too often. This is when immediate action should be taken, before the person slips into a financial mess because of alcohol.

4. Driving While Drunk

Drunk driving is incredibly dangerous, both for the driver and for anyone driving around them. In this day and age where there are so many transportation options for anyone, there is no excuse to drink and drive anymore. The result could be death for the driver or anyone they may accidentally hit.

The repercussions of being caught drunk driving by law enforcement will haunt a person for the rest of their life. So if you are driving while drunk this means that alcohol has seriously impaired your judgment and you need to stop immediately. The results of drunk driving include expensive fines, a driver’s license being suspended, and in the worst case scenario someone being seriously injured or killed.

5. Drinking Starts To Affect Your Health

Over time alcohol can have terrible affects on one’s health. If someone has drunk enough that they have passed out or needed to go to the hospital, this means that their drinking has gotten out of control. Even social drinkers should never drink to get drunk, and if someone does on a regular basis, this can cause severe damage to a person’s liver and also even affect the brain.

If drinking alcohol has started to affect one’s health, this means that someone should cut down on drinking. And while someone may want to only cut down on drinking, if it’s gotten this serious, they should most likely abstain from drinking altogether.