Everyone drinks for a positive reason. You want to relax. You want to be more sociable. You want to untangle your nerves. You want to be the life of the party. None of these reasons are bad reasons to drink. But when drinking gets out of control, you’ve got a serious problem on your hands.

It can be tough to identify if things are, in fact, out of control. You wake up with a throbbing hangover and horrible guilt about the things you did the night before, and you wonder if perhaps you’re an alcoholic. Then you hear someone else laughing off their own stories of drunken embarrassment and catastrophic hangovers and you wonder if you’re being too hard on yourself.

Taking the quiz below will give you an idea if you’re in the danger zone. Be honest with yourself when you answer the questions. No one needs to know your answers but you. Each question has a “yes” or “no” answer. The more questions you answer “yes,” the more likely you’re drinking too much.

Before you begin, remember that there’s a difference between abusing alcohol and being addicted to it. According to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, abusing alcohol means you’re drinking too much, too often, but despite this being a bad choice, it’s still a choice. Being addicted to alcohol, on the other hand, means you have virtually no choice. You feel physically, mentally and emotionally unable to stop drinking, even when doing so is damaging your personal relationships, work life and health, and is making you miserable. You need help in both situations, but one is clearly more serious than the other.

Personal Assessment Quiz

1: Have loved ones expressed concerns about your drinking habits?

2: Do you drink alcohol even when you know the timing is inappropriate, such as when you have to drive, you’re responsible for children or it’s very late and you must work the next day?

3: Do you feel anxious when you can’t get alcohol?

4: Do you try to conceal how much you’re really drinking from friends or family members?

5: Do you frequently drink more than you intended to?

6: Do you find yourself drinking or buying alcohol when you promised yourself you would stay sober that night?

7: Do you often drink to get drunk when you’re alone?

8: Do you find you need to drink more than you used to in order to get the buzz you’re looking for?

9: Do you turn to alcohol to help you cope with stress, disappointments, anger or to reward yourself?

10: Have you tried switching to other types of alcohol or different brands in an effort to control your drinking?

11: Do you get drunk frequently, even when you don’t mean to?

12: Do you find yourself anticipating your first drink more than you used to?

13: Do you forget things that happen when you’re drinking, even when friends tell you that you didn’t pass out?

14: Are you often embarrassed, guilty or ashamed before, during or after drinking?

15: Have you wondered if you’re an alcoholic, or considered quitting because drinking is making you unhappy?

16: Have you put other people in dangerous situations because of your drinking, such as forcing someone to let you drive when you were drunk?

17: Do you do things you deeply regret the next day, such as engage in promiscuous behavior or altercations?

18: Have you experienced withdrawal symptoms when you can’t drink, such as sweating, nausea, shakiness and heart palpitations?

19: Do you feel the need to “pre-party” before meeting with friends for drinks so you can get the buzz you want without appearing to drink a lot in front of others?

20: Do you try to avoid close friends or family members when you’re drinking?

Obviously, this test can’t definitively tell you if you’re an alcoholic or not. Use it, instead, as a guide. If you find yourself answering “yes” to several of the questions – or most of them – take that as a sign that you need to seriously reexamine your relationship with alcohol. Even if you ultimately decide that you don’t have a problem, taking a break to make sure of that will certainly never hurt you.

We are here to help. Please call 512-497-2147.