600: Your Family Member Might Be Alcoholic If They Do This

600: Your Family Member Might Be Alcoholic If They Do This

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This milestone 600th episode of Real Recovery Talk lays out 10 clear signs that someone might have an alcohol problem, using plain language and very real stories from host Tom Conrad’s own history.

Speaking as someone who has been sober for almost 16 years, Tom breaks down behaviours that many people shrug off or hide, like stashing bottles in odd places, drinking earlier and earlier in the day, or treating a high tolerance as a "badge of honour." He shares, "Alcoholism in and of itself is very slow and progressive until it's not. And then it becomes fast and aggressive," giving listeners a simple way to think about how things can quietly escalate.

You’ll hear how physical withdrawal shows up – shaking hands, a trembling jaw, sky‑high anxiety – and why lying about how much you drink is such a red flag. Tom also talks about the heartbreaking normality of drinking alone in crowded bars, using alcohol to cope with every emotion, and repeatedly saying "I'll quit tomorrow" while tomorrow never actually arrives.

This episode is aimed at two groups: people quietly wondering "Am I an alcoholic?" and family members who suspect something’s wrong but aren’t sure what to look for. Tom keeps bringing it back to self-honesty, stressing that alcoholism is "the only disease that one can ever have that has to be self-diagnosed," and that even relating to just one of these signs is worth paying attention to.

If you’ve ever questioned your drinking – or someone close to you has – this candid breakdown might be the nudge you need to ask: is alcohol running the show more than you’d like to admit?