The signs of alcoholism are mainly unrecognized until you find yourself living with an alcoholic. Regardless how much you love someone or how much care you take of them, dealing with an alcohol addiction is an event no one can really prepare in advance for.

As the signs of alcoholism become more recognizable in an individual, family and friends can often think back and point out the exact signs of alcoholism that slipped unrecognized until the person became an alcoholic. Instead of allowing the almost certain end result of living with an alcoholic, learn the top 5 signs of alcoholism that you can interrupt in the beginning stages and prevent yourself or someone you love from dealing with an alcohol addiction.

1. High tolerance for alcohol is one of the signs of alcoholism that are always left undetected. Some people may occasionally over drink during a holiday or weekend. However, when people begin to increasingly need more and more alcohol just to experience the effect of the alcohol they are usually developing number of signs of alcoholism at the same time.

2. Becoming unsociable. Alcoholics are not usually social drinkers; instead, they prefer to drink alone. The people who are living with an alcoholic would sometimes notice that the craving to drink has become so strong that the alcoholic finds it hard to focus or think about anything else. Very commonly, they will turn down spending time with family and friends unless the event or celebration actually involves alcohol.

3. Changes in appearance and health. When living with an alcoholic you must remember that alcohol is a drug and for alcoholics the brain becomes dependent on the drug over time. As the cravings advance nausea, tremors, irritability, loss of coordination and other physical alcoholic symptoms may occur. The eyes can become sunken and red rimmed while the skin can become sallow and can feature dry scaly patches. Many alcoholics will lose a large amount of weight. Alcoholics also tend to neglect their physical appearance and may have a shaggy beard, raggedy hair and wear rumpled ill fitting clothing.

4. Risky behaviors. As the disease progresses, you can notice changes in the behavior of someone in the grips of an alcoholism. These changes in behavior are sure signs of alcoholism. They may get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence even when they are dealing with legal consequences; they may fail to show up to work or pick up the kids from school and will often not have a valid reason for their absence.

5. Memory loss. This is one of the advanced signs of alcoholism. When consuming large quantities of alcohol, someone with an alcohol addiction can fall unconscious and will often wake up without any recollection of what they have done. Some may remember their actions but feel guilty or regretful over what their obsession with alcohol leads them to do. Under the grip of the drug, an alcoholic's personality can alter, resulting in verbal or physical abuse.

By recognizing the signs of alcoholism early, you can quickly begin learning the correct approach that will provide the one you love with the help they need before the addiction becomes all consuming. Although living with an alcoholic can feel hopeless the key to getting out of this nightmare is the right knowledge put into action urgently!