There’s no single checklist when it comes to whether or not you’re an alcoholic. For example, many people believe alcoholics are people who drink every day, but this isn’t always the case. Some alcoholics only drink on weekends, but when they do, they have no control over their drinking.

That said, there are some common attributes of alcoholism, which include:

• Intense and uncontrollable urges to drink
• Needing to drink more to achieve the same effect
• Drinking at inappropriate times, such as day drinking
• Believing that alcohol is the only way you can be social
• An inability to quit
• Skipping out on responsibilities
• Experiencing symptoms when you stop drinking, such as shaking in your hands
• Blacking out when you drink

To give you an idea about how this might all tie together, perhaps you wake up groggy and vow that you will not drink that day. As the day wears on, you feel worse, your hands begin to shake, and you crave a drink. All too soon, your brain convinces you that you just need one drink to set things straight. Before you know it, you’ve poured a drink, then a second, and then a third. And this same cycle happens the next day.

Of course, people may have different scenarios, but there are always signs of addiction and dependence like those we describe above — the lack of control, the brain that convinces you into drinking, and the physical withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink.