WHERE ARE YOU WITH YOUR DRINKING? Purpose: This activity is designed to help you determine if you have some alcoholic tendencies and to advance your understanding of alcoholic behavior.
Directions: Respond to the following questions by answering "yes" or "no".
_____1) Have you noticed that you are able to handle more liquor than when you were first drinking?
_____2) Did you ever wake up on the "morning after" and discover that you could not remember part of the evening before, even though your friends tell you that you did not pass out?
_____3) Are there certain occasions when you feel uncomfortable if alcohol is not available?
_____4) Do you sometimes feel a little guilty about your drinking?
_____5) Are you secretly irritated when your family or friends discuss your drinking?
_____6) Do you often find that you wish to continue drinking after your friends say that they have had enough?
_____7) Have you ever been arrested, even for a few hours, because of driving while intoxicated or for becoming aggressive or fighting?
_____8) Have you often failed to keep the promises you have made to yourself about controlling or cutting down your drinking?
_____9) Do you eat very little or irregularly when you are drinking?
_____10) Have you recently noticed that you cannot drink as much as you once did?
_____11) Do you sometimes stay drunk for several days at a time?
_____12) Do you get terribly frightened after you have been drinking heavily?
Scoring: Those who answer yes to two or more of these questions may wish to evaluate their drinking habits to further determine consistency and frequency of patterns. The guide below indicates which questions relate to the different stages of alcoholism.
Questions 1 through 4 represent some of the early stages of alcoholism. If you checked one or more of these, it would be wise to watch your drinking behaviors carefully. Although many people stay at this stage throughout their lives, many others miss the chance to control their drinking before it progresses.
Questions 5 through 9 represent some of the middle stages of alcoholism. If you check one or more of these, your dependence on alcohol is probably well established. Outside counseling might be helpful at this stage.
Questions 10 through 12 represent some of the final stages of alcoholism. If your answers indicate that you are in this stage, you should seek medical help.
Produced in part from the brochure What are the Signs of Alcoholism? published by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. For more information, visit the website at www.ncadd.org.
