Notices

Am I an Alcoholic?

Old 08-03-2012, 08:45 AM
  # 1 (permalink)  
Its_me_jen
Thread Starter
 
PaperDolls's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Salina, Ks
Posts: 8,547
Question Am I an Alcoholic?

This is a common question here. I can't tell you how many posts I've seen asking this question.

There are many lists like this but it's one of the better one's I've seen. I wanted to share it with you, in case you have this question about yourself ... or a loved one.

ALCOHOLISM SYMPTOM CHECKLIST
Here is a self-test to help you review the role alcohol plays in your life. These questions incorporate many of the common symptoms of alcoholism.

These questions are intended to help you determine if you or someone you know needs to find out more about alcoholism; it is not intended to be used to establish the diagnosis of alcoholism.
  • Do you ever drink heavily when you are disappointed, under pressure or have had a quarrel with someone?

  • Can you handle more alcohol now than when you first started drinking?

  • Have you ever been unable to remember part of the previous evening, even though your friends say you didn't pass out?

  • When drinking with other people, do you try to have a few extra drinks when others won't know about it?

  • Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable when alcohol is not available?

  • Are you in more of a hurry to get your first drink of the day than you used to be?

  • Do you sometimes feel a little guilty about your drinking?

  • Has a family member or close friend ever expressed concern or complained about your drinking?

  • Have you been having more memory "blackouts" lately?

  • Do you often want to continue drinking after your friends say they've had enough?

  • Do you usually have a reason for the occasions when you drink heavily?

  • When you're sober, do you sometimes regret things you did or said while drinking?

  • Have you tried switching brands or drinks, or following different plans to control your drinking?


SOURCE
PaperDolls is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 11:10 AM
  # 2 (permalink)  
Powerless over Alcohol
 
IndaMiricale's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Trudging the Road to Happy Destiny!
Posts: 4,018
I had answered Yes to every one of those,

Thank you AA and SR for that I dont need to evaluate myself today, I am a alcoholic and always will be. But I am free for today.
IndaMiricale is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 12:58 PM
  # 3 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada. About as far south as you can get
Posts: 4,768
Am I an Alcoholic?


If you have to ask the question.. you probably are.

All the best.

Bob R
2granddaughters is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 01:11 PM
  # 4 (permalink)  
Member
 
DoinThis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 282
I think it's a better one too as a lot of the others talk about have u lost a job blah blah. This one is probably more about the early stages which is great cos it's when u want to do something about your drinking and u don't need to read one that makes u think 'oh I'm not that bad, cool lets drink!

If I read this when I stated thinking I might have a problem.....YES to every question. Hope it helps a newbie
DoinThis is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 01:13 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,180
Yes to all.The worse thing is the answers were yes when I was in my early 20s too
justhadenough is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 01:26 PM
  # 6 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: London
Posts: 299
I don't answer yes to every question. I rarely got memory blackouts, didn't want to drink earlier in the day.... but I knew, deep down, that alcohol was killing me emotionally.

When I finally stopped I'd got to the point where I stopped thinking about "are you an alcoholic" and just thought "you need to try stopping, and try it at least for a while, as something is really wrong here".

This was after I first went to AA, didn't identify initially, left AA, and stopped for a bit. Then when I did drink again I had an awful blackout as my body was making up for having stopped and I drunk a lot (that's just my opinion).

I knew then I had to stop, and stop analysing whether I was an alcoholic or not as I owed it to myself to give it a shot. But that if I kept having sober weeks then a binge it would really mess me up, booze had to go altogether. 4 months later I'm very glad, as emotionally I am now unpicking all my issues. Went back to AA, and will happily say "I am an alcoholic" without analysing it to see if I am one.... I just need to stay stopped. That's all I think now.

I can also remember someone saying at a meeting "drinking is voluntary insanity", and that stuck. I'd been destroying myself and there was no point in keeping on doing something to myself that was so insane and taking me down with it.

Might not work for everyone, but it helped me.
regeneration is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 02:30 PM
  # 7 (permalink)  
Sober since Jan 1, 2012
 
Lost3000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,583
It's interesting, because when I first started questioning it, I couldn't really answer yes to any of those. Then one by one I started to be able to say yes.

Years went by and I found myself going by the liquor store to get little bottles of vodka to drink on the way home. This was after I had hit happy hour and downed a few vodka sodas. So I'd drink the little shooters in the car on the drive home. Then pour a martini at home. I could justify happy hour and the martinis, but the little bottles in my purse...well, that just wasn't normal. I knew it and I kept on, kept on.

Finally I realized the label didn't really matter, as all I wanted was to quit. I was envious of people with long term sobriety. I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to feel proud of myself and say, I don't drink. I'm so happy to say that now I can honestly say that.
Lost3000 is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 04:24 PM
  # 8 (permalink)  
Self recovered Self discovered
 
freshstart57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
There was a time when I racked up an impressive score on that checklist, PaperDolls. I can say no to every one of those questions now, and mean it too. I am finished being an alcoholic. I will never drink again.

Alcoholism does not need to be a forever thing.
freshstart57 is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 05:11 PM
  # 9 (permalink)  
Member
 
tomsteve's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: northern michigan. not the U.P.
Posts: 15,281
i could answer yes to all of em when i was drinking, but would have a good, insane reason.
tomsteve is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 08:55 PM
  # 10 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,126
Cool

On the rare off-chance that someone might have answered 'no' to all those questions posted by PaperDolls; don't know if she purposefully left off the remainder of the questions, but here are some more............:


Have you sometimes failed to keep promises you made to yourself about controlling or cutting down on your drinking?

Have you ever had a DWI (driving while intoxicated) or DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol) violation, or any other legal problem related to your drinking?

Do you try to avoid family or close friends while you are drinking?

Are you having more financial, work, school and/or family problems as a result of your drinking?

Has your physician ever advised you to cut down on your drinking?

Do you eat very little or irregularly during the periods when you are drinking?

Do you sometimes have the "shakes" in the morning and find that it helps to have a "little" drink, tranquilizer or medication of some kind?

Have you recently noticed that you can't drink as much as you used to?

Do you sometimes stay drunk for several days at a time?

After periods of drinking do you sometimes see or hear things that aren't there?

Have you ever gone to anyone for help about your drinking?

Do you ever feel depressed or anxious before, during or after periods of heavy drinking?

Have any of your blood relatives ever had a problem with alcohol?
NoelleR is offline  
Old 08-03-2012, 11:57 PM
  # 11 (permalink)  
Guest
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 94
I don't answer yes to a lot of these BUT the kicker for me is

I hide drinks to secretly drink more... Once starting drinking I don't want to and can't stop until I've had far too many.
Beerbottles is offline  
Old 08-04-2012, 07:36 PM
  # 12 (permalink)  
Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,981
I don't think there really is a one size fits all checklist as there are many different types of alcoholics you could say, but it all comes down really to one question, do you need to drink and can't stop even when you want to? If you answer yes, you are an alcoholic.
Forward12 is offline  

Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:26 AM.