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Though you canot tell with 100% accuaracy who will become an alcoholic and who will not, there are however some red-flag signals which one can watch out for. If you are therefore worried about your drinking or even someone elses drinking these red-flags should be taken extremely seriously. They are effective cautions or alerts that alcoholism could be present.

1. High Tolerance: When one can drink more alcohol than others without displaying any apparent ill effects. You are praised for 'drinking like a man' and being able to 'hold your liquor well' and that you 'can drink your friends under the table'
2. mental preoccupation with liqour: When a person seems to conatstantly think about the next drink. They anticiapte having a drink at lunch or after work. having a good time must involve having a drink while no party is a pary without alcohol. No alcohol means a 'boring' or 'useless' party'. When alcohol becomes very important at every social function
3. Gulping first drinks: Since alcoholics want pleasant feelings fast. Alcohol is used to set the mood of relaxation quickly, a need to achieve euphoria and a feeling of well being quickly. This person will have a few drinks to 'fortify' or 'charge' themselves before leaving for a party or other gathering even as they know alcohol will be available.
4. Guilty feelings about drinking: Peronal standrads of moderation or limits undergo change. Through all this however there is a vague unease as a sense that all is not right prevails. The person feels that their reasons for drinking have changed and this constant need for alcohol does not sit well with them. There are feelings of 'I should cut down.' Inner resentments begin to nag
5. Blackouts: Blackouts in this context do not mean a drinker passing out but that the next day after a drinking bout there exists only partial memories of what happened. certain periods will not be remembered at all even though while these events were happening the drinker looked perfectly normal to those around them
6. Anger resulting in Resenting discussions about personal alcohol use: When one is in the early stages of alcoholism they do not like discussions on how much they drink. This fear increases the unconcious need for denial. As far as they are concerned, there is no problem. Any attempt to have a serious discussion about ones drinking habits will result in excuses, projection or sarcastic humour. There will be no honest attempt to probe the issue
7. Using alcohol to relax: The use of alcohol as the preferred method to relieve tension, worries, anxiety and other emotional distress. Alcohol is very handy in this way as it needs no docters prescription for one to use it and it works quiet well albiet on a temporary basis
8. Improved performance: A typical sign is when people seem to socialise more easily, perform job skills better and even cease to be clumsy while drinking. Such people are probably already alcoholic
9. Unpremeditated drinking: A person who stops 'just to have a drink or two' and gets stuck for hours having many more than initially intended. Most often they drink more than they shold. Thus his drinking has become different from what he would like it to be
10. Mild withdrawal: When one experiences symptoms such as tremors of the hands after a 'night out', sweating or a queasy stomach
11. Morning drinking: Needing a drink in the morning. When you need this drink to relieve symptoms brought about by the previous nights drinking

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