diff --git a/src/connection.c b/src/connection.c
index 8870fd2d..fb6a4be8 100644
--- a/src/connection.c
+++ b/src/connection.c
@@ -75,7 +75,8 @@ struct wl_connection {
 static inline size_t
 size_pot(uint32_t size_bits)
 {
-	assert(size_bits < 8 * sizeof(size_t));
+	if (!(size_bits < 8 * sizeof(size_t)))
+		wl_abort("Too many bits for size_t\n");
 
 	return ((size_t)1) << size_bits;
 }
diff --git a/src/event-loop.c b/src/event-loop.c
index 45222f71..f6392521 100644
--- a/src/event-loop.c
+++ b/src/event-loop.c
@@ -447,7 +447,8 @@ wl_timer_heap_disarm(struct wl_timer_heap *timers,
 	struct wl_event_source_timer *last_end_evt;
 	int old_source_idx;
 
-	assert(source->heap_idx >= 0);
+	if (!(source->heap_idx >= 0))
+		wl_abort("Timer has already been disarmed\n");
 
 	old_source_idx = source->heap_idx;
 	source->heap_idx = -1;
@@ -476,7 +477,8 @@ wl_timer_heap_arm(struct wl_timer_heap *timers,
 		  struct wl_event_source_timer *source,
 		  struct timespec deadline)
 {
-	assert(source->heap_idx == -1);
+	if (!(source->heap_idx == -1))
+		wl_abort("Timer is already armed\n");
 
 	source->deadline = deadline;
 	timers->data[timers->active] = source;
diff --git a/src/wayland-client.c b/src/wayland-client.c
index 9cf27939..db5bcb58 100644
--- a/src/wayland-client.c
+++ b/src/wayland-client.c
@@ -235,13 +235,16 @@ wl_event_queue_init(struct wl_event_queue *queue,
 static void
 wl_proxy_unref(struct wl_proxy *proxy)
 {
-	assert(proxy->refcount > 0);
+	if (!(proxy->refcount > 0))
+		wl_abort("Proxy requested for unref has no references\n");
 	if (--proxy->refcount > 0)
 		return;
 
 	/* If we get here, the client must have explicitly requested
 	 * deletion. */
-	assert(proxy->flags & WL_PROXY_FLAG_DESTROYED);
+	if (!(proxy->flags & WL_PROXY_FLAG_DESTROYED))
+		wl_abort("Proxy with no references not yet explicitly"
+			 "destroyed\n");
 	free(proxy);
 }
 
@@ -1172,7 +1175,8 @@ connect_to_socket(const char *name)
 			         "%s", name) + 1;
 	}
 
-	assert(name_size > 0);
+	if (!(name_size > 0))
+		wl_abort("Error assigning path name for socket connection\n");
 	if (name_size > (int)sizeof addr.sun_path) {
 		if (!path_is_absolute) {
 			wl_log("error: socket path \"%s/%s\" plus null terminator"
@@ -2453,7 +2457,9 @@ wl_proxy_set_queue(struct wl_proxy *proxy, struct wl_event_queue *queue)
 	wl_list_remove(&proxy->queue_link);
 
 	if (queue) {
-		assert(proxy->display == queue->display);
+		if (!(proxy->display == queue->display))
+			wl_abort("Proxy and queue point to different "
+				 "wl_displays");
 		proxy->queue = queue;
 	} else {
 		proxy->queue = &proxy->display->default_queue;
@@ -2581,7 +2587,8 @@ wl_proxy_wrapper_destroy(void *proxy_wrapper)
 		wl_abort("Tried to destroy non-wrapper proxy with "
 			 "wl_proxy_wrapper_destroy\n");
 
-	assert(wrapper->refcount == 1);
+	if (!(wrapper->refcount == 1))
+		wl_abort("Expected proxy wrapper's refcount to be 1\n");
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&wrapper->display->mutex);
 
diff --git a/src/wayland-server.c b/src/wayland-server.c
index 2e185634..95f69e7f 100644
--- a/src/wayland-server.c
+++ b/src/wayland-server.c
@@ -1714,7 +1714,8 @@ wl_socket_init_for_display_name(struct wl_socket *s, const char *name)
 	name_size = snprintf(s->addr.sun_path, sizeof s->addr.sun_path,
 			     "%s%s%s", runtime_dir, separator, name) + 1;
 
-	assert(name_size > 0);
+	if (!(name_size > 0))
+		wl_abort("Error assigning path name for socket address\n");
 	if (name_size > (int)sizeof s->addr.sun_path) {
 		wl_log("error: socket path \"%s%s%s\" plus null terminator"
 		       " exceeds 108 bytes\n", runtime_dir, separator, name);
diff --git a/src/wayland-shm.c b/src/wayland-shm.c
index 0a11736a..70685e6c 100644
--- a/src/wayland-shm.c
+++ b/src/wayland-shm.c
@@ -144,12 +144,17 @@ shm_pool_unref(struct wl_shm_pool *pool, bool external)
 {
 	if (external) {
 		pool->external_refcount--;
-		assert(pool->external_refcount >= 0);
+		if (!(pool->external_refcount >= 0))
+			wl_abort("Requested to unref an external reference to "
+				 "pool but none found\n");
 		if (pool->external_refcount == 0)
 			shm_pool_finish_resize(pool);
 	} else {
 		pool->internal_refcount--;
-		assert(pool->internal_refcount >= 0);
+		if (!(pool->internal_refcount >= 0))
+			wl_abort("Requested to unref an internal reference to "
+				 "pool but none found\n");
+
 	}
 
 	if (pool->internal_refcount + pool->external_refcount > 0)
@@ -509,8 +514,9 @@ wl_shm_buffer_get_height(struct wl_shm_buffer *buffer)
 WL_EXPORT struct wl_shm_pool *
 wl_shm_buffer_ref_pool(struct wl_shm_buffer *buffer)
 {
-	assert(buffer->pool->internal_refcount +
-	       buffer->pool->external_refcount);
+	if (!(buffer->pool->internal_refcount +
+	       buffer->pool->external_refcount))
+		wl_abort("Can't get reference to pool that has been freed\n");
 
 	buffer->pool->external_refcount++;
 	return buffer->pool;
@@ -658,8 +664,9 @@ wl_shm_buffer_begin_access(struct wl_shm_buffer *buffer)
 		pthread_setspecific(wl_shm_sigbus_data_key, sigbus_data);
 	}
 
-	assert(sigbus_data->current_pool == NULL ||
-	       sigbus_data->current_pool == pool);
+	if (!(sigbus_data->current_pool == NULL ||
+	       sigbus_data->current_pool == pool))
+		wl_abort("Incorrect pool passed for current thread\n");
 
 	sigbus_data->current_pool = pool;
 	sigbus_data->access_count++;
@@ -686,7 +693,9 @@ wl_shm_buffer_end_access(struct wl_shm_buffer *buffer)
 		return;
 
 	sigbus_data = pthread_getspecific(wl_shm_sigbus_data_key);
-	assert(sigbus_data && sigbus_data->access_count >= 1);
+	if (!(sigbus_data && sigbus_data->access_count >= 1))
+		wl_abort("sigbus_data is NULL or wl_shm_buffer_begin_access "
+			 "wasn't called before\n");
 
 	if (--sigbus_data->access_count == 0) {
 		if (sigbus_data->fallback_mapping_used) {