Kenny S – How do I know I’m an alcoholic?

Kenny S – How do I know I’m an alcoholic?

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Kenny S from New Orleans tackles one of the biggest questions people quietly ask themselves: "How do I know I'm an alcoholic?" Kenny shares how, from age 15 to 30, he spent years trying to outsmart his drinking. He changed what he drank, how much he drank, and set rules like, "I'll only have a couple beers." Every time, those rules crumbled.

As he puts it, "the first drink takes the second, takes the third, and on and on and on," no matter where he was or who he was with. The turning point came in Alcoholics Anonymous, where he heard about an "allergy to alcohol" in the AA book. That idea clicked for him: the problem wasn’t weak willpower, it was that once he started, he couldn’t reliably stop. That shift in perspective brought real relief.

Kenny doesn’t just talk about drinking; he talks frankly about sobriety too. He explains that his sober behaviour and the way he felt without alcohol were huge red flags. The world felt "intolerable" when he was sober and untreated, and the racing thoughts in his mind pushed him back towards the bottle every time. Sobriety since May 2014 hasn’t been automatic. Kenny explains how staying close to Alcoholics Anonymous, sponsoring others, and going to meetings keeps life manageable.

Any time he pulls back, "the job's a problem, the wife's a problem," and the gifts of recovery start looking like burdens again. This short episode speaks directly to anyone wondering if their drinking crosses the line. If you’ve ever tried to control your drinking a hundred different ways and failed, Kenny’s story might feel uncomfortably familiar – and strangely comforting. Could hearing someone else say, "That was my problem too," be the nudge you need?