Recovering alcoholic reveals the three signs your friend or family member might have a drinking problem

A man recovering from alcoholism has shared three telling signs that could help you spot problem drinking among your friends and family.

It can be easy to slip into repeat patterns of heavy drinking without realizing that you are becoming dependent on it to have a good time.

Figuring out the difference between someone enjoying a beer and someone who cannot enjoy anything without getting drunk is much less easy, but it can be a major concern for loved ones who want the best for their health.

It can be extremely hard to tell someone, as a friend, that they might want to cut back on the liquor, even if that is the best thing for their health and relationships with other people.

Recovering alcoholic Corey Warren - who has been sober since 2011 - has shared three helpful signs that someone you care about has slipped into a problematic drinking pattern.

Do you have a friend that makes every social occasion into an excuse to drink? (Getty Stock Image)

Warren's first handy sign is for when booze has changed how someone thinks.

"Number one, they're probably creating rules for their drinking," he laid out on his YouTube channel.

This could include rules like 'only beer tonight' to regulate how drunk they get, rather than limit their own intake, or swiftly sinking a couple before going home.

"If you have to create rules, chances are it's already broken," he explained.

His second warning sign of alcohol dependency can be the hardest to confront in someone that you love or care for - a rapid change in who you thought they were.

Warren said: "Number two, their personality changes 180 degrees. They're probably really funny and nice, happy to be around, but then alcohol gets involved and they might get overly emotional, sad, mad, or even aggressive."

This can be particularly difficult, with problem drinkers explaining away their actions and personality changes as being because they are a different person when they are drunk.

But if they are frequently drunk when you see them, they face the threat of becoming that person.

A third major red flag highlighted by Warren is when 'they think about drinking even when they're not drinking.'

This sign can be the hardest to spot, as you will often be asked to socialise and might even have a good time, but while you're there to socialise, they're there to drink.

"They call you all the time to hang out, you might see them a lo,t but every time you do, alcohol is involved," the recovering alcoholic pointed out.

Medics advise all people who develop alcohol dependencies, from light to severe, to seek medical attention and abstinence programs as soon as possible, as continued heavy drinking can have disastrous consequences on their health.

If you've been affected by addiction and want to speak to someone in confidence, you can call American Addiction Centers on (888) 324-0595, available 24/7, or contact them through their website.

• Recovering alcoholic reveals the three signs that your friend or family member might have a problem
• Signs you're drinking too much 'liquid death' as cardiologist issues warning
• Scientists reveal how 'zebra striping' can help prevent hangovers as Gen Z start doing it
• New study reveals terrifying effects excessive drinking for 35 years has on your brain