Many of us know someone with a drinking problem, or we ourselves may drink too much. And many of us laugh about things that happen while weSA国际影视传媒檙e drinking, like someone getting into a fight, getting hurt while doing something stupid, or just making a fool of themselves. Eschia!

In fact, one time I woke up with a terrible hangover and I couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 remember much from the night before but I had a bad feeling. My friend called me and said you better call my boss. I asked him why and he said, SA国际影视传媒測ou got into a fight with my boss last night and his leg is broken.SA国际影视传媒� Say what?!

But, itSA国际影视传媒檚 all in fun, isnSA国际影视传媒檛 it? Yes, but once we start relying on alcohol or hurting ourselves or others itSA国际影视传媒檚 no longer fun. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a problem. How big of a problem? Well for one thing, a recent World Health Organization study found that Canadians drink over 50 per cent more alcohol per capita than the world average.

And guess what? Canada is 40th out of 200 countries and the United States is ranked 44th. Another study found that one in eight, or over 40 million, Americans are alcoholics. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 more than the entire population of Canada. Just imagine if every single person in Canada was an alcoholic.

To boot, Canadians drink more than Americans and people in the three territories drink considerably more than people living in the provinces. Not cool.

Remember how my friendSA国际影视传媒檚 boss got a broken leg when we were fighting? Well, that did not stop me from drinking. I continued to drink as though nothing had happened.

Not long after that, I was leaving an office party and was busy talking to a girl on the way toward a set of long stairs that went straight down to the main floor. I was so busy trying to impress her that I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 notice when we got to the stairs. Well, I missed the first step and ended up full of blood, half way through a glass door at the bottom of the stairs.

We all laughed about that and continued to drink SA国际影视传媒� that night and for many years later.

Soon after, my cousin was working on the highway near Fort Simpson. His crew went to town, spent the evening in the bar, then began driving back to camp. Of course, the driver had been in the bar all night, and he rolled the van. My cousin was killed in the accident, and he was only in his early 20s!

We didnSA国际影视传媒檛 laugh about that but we still all continued to drink for years and to laugh at people making fools of themselves when drinking.

Then not long after that, some of my friends were drinking and decided to drive to Hay River. A young lady I went to school with was driving. She lost control of the vehicle and was killed in the crash. She was younger than my cousin. Again, we didnSA国际影视传媒檛 laugh but we still continued to drink.

ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 why in Alcoholics Anonymous, we say alcohol is SA国际影视传媒渃unning, baffling and powerful.SA国际影视传媒� Thankfully, and by the grace of God, I have now been clean and sober for over 30 years.

Alcohol abuse

Alcohol abuse is when someone continues to drink too much after negative consequences, so we were definitely abusing alcohol. So, how do you know if youSA国际影视传媒檙e drinking too much? There are two types of excessive drinking.

Heavy drinking SA国际影视传媒� For men 65 or younger, heavy drinking is having more than three drinks a day or more than 14 drinks a week. For women and men over 65, heavy drinking is more than three drinks a day or over seven drinks a week.

Binge drinking is drinking lots of alcohol at one time. For men, itSA国际影视传媒檚 having five or more drinks within two hours. For women, itSA国际影视传媒檚 four or more drinks in two hours.

Ten warning signs of alcoholism

Following are warning signs of alcoholism, according to the Recovery Village website:

Drinking alone and in secrecy

Losing interest in other activities that were once enjoyable

Alcohol cravings

Making drinking a priority over responsibilities, such as employment and family

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms, like sweating, anxiety, etc.

Extreme mood swings and irritability

Feelings of guilt associated with drinking

Having a drink first thing in the morning

Continuing to drink, despite health, financial and family problems

Not able to stop or control the amount of alcohol thatSA国际影视传媒檚 consumed

If you have some of these signs and want to do a self-assessment, here are some free confidential screening tests to help you better understand your drinking habits: CAGE Alcohol Assessment Quiz, the MAST Alcohol Assessment Quiz, and the AUDIT Alcohol Assessment Quiz.

Tune in two weeks from now for Part 2. Have a good week.