Updated February 03, 2015.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
One of the signs that you may have a drinking problem is if you hide your drinking from others or lie about how much you really drink. If you have progressed to the point where you are beginning to sneak around with your drinking, you may already have a drinking problem.
Some of the readers of the About.com Alcoholism site, who shared their experiences with withdrawal symptoms, also talked about how they hide their drinking from their family members.
'Drunk Boss' Writes:
I drink a bottle of wine every day or half of the large bottle each night. I buy the large wine bottles (two at a time) and drink about 3-4 every week. I get a smaller bottle to leave on the kitchen counter so my husband thinks I'm only drinking one glass a night. Or at least that's what I think.
I don't know if he knows that I hide the large bottles in my closet so I can refill my glass throughout the night. Sometimes I black out. I drink at work -- take some wine in a plastic bottle -- and drink before important, stressful meetings. I mask the smell with gum, mint, food -- anything.
'Lamb' Writes:
Just read a posting about having secret wine stashes and how to hide them. My kids have already found out where mine is. I would spend the majority of my time in the kitchen doing the dishes without any complaints as my glass of red wine was secretly tucked behind this cupboard with easy access.
That was why you would always find me in the kitchen. People thought I was so diligent.
Do You Hide Your Drinking?
If you are one of those drinkers who hides your drinking from those close to you or cover up or hide how much you drink to others around you, ask yourself this question:
If your drinking is not a problem, why hide it?
Somewhere deep down inside, you know that your drinking has reached an unhealthy level. You know that your relationship with alcohol has crossed the line, or you wouldn't cover it up.
Take the Alcohol Screening Quiz
At some point, you progressed from a safe drinking level to an at-risk level of alcohol consumption. If you thought your drinking level was healthy, you would not hesitate to tell anyone exactly how much you drink.
How does your drinking compare to healthy levels? Have you developed a drinking problem? Take the Alcohol Screening Quiz to get an idea of how your drinking has progressed.
Sources:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Your Health." February 2009.