Alcohol Self-Assessment

Curious about your drinking pattern?  Visit this site to see how you measure up compared to other women your age.  

Or ask yourself the following questions:

Are you drinking to cope with depression, anxiety, stress?

There is no foolproof way of knowing if someone has an alcohol problem, but you can ask yourself some questions that might begin to help you determine if you or someone you know has a drinking problem.

1. Are you, yourself, uneasy about your drinking behavior, why you drink, how much, and/or how you feel when you drink?
2. Has someone close to you spoken to you about your drinking behavior?
3. Do you drink at most social occasions you attend, such as parties, dates or informal get-togethers?
4. Do you sometimes think that you need to drink to have a good time?
5. Do you seem to have more courage to meet and talk to people when you have had a few drinks?
6. Do a few drinks allow you to be more yourself, more the person you would like to be?
7. Have you ever taken a few drinks before going to class, to work, or before dates or appointments to bolster your courage?
8. Do you keep a bottle in your apartment or car so it will always be handy if you need it?
9. Do you do things when you drink that you wouldn't do if you were sober?
10. When things go wrong with work, school, in you home life or with your parents, do you drink to forget about it or to make yourself feel better?
11. Do you sometimes forget things that happen while you were drinking?

Blackouts are a definite sign that your brain can no longer tolerate alcohol, whether you have been drinking one year or twenty, whether they occur after a few drinks or many, or whether you appear intoxicated or not.

The "test" above is not a foolproof diagnosis, but it is a rather good indicator. The likelihood that it is a serious problem increases with each succeeding "yes," and even two "yes" answers should be considered a danger sign. It may mean that you are using alcohol to deal with stressful situations in your life. You may want to start now to develop some other methods of coping with stress. You can do this on your own or with the help of friends, but if you would like confidential counseling to discuss your alcohol or drug use contact ASAP at extension 4-2182.

Depression - Alcohol and Other Drugs

A lot of depressed people, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes the depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it. (In the long run, drugs or alcohol just make things worse!) Other times, the alcohol or other drug use comes first, and depression is caused by:

• the drug itself, or
• withdrawal from it, or
• the problems that substance use causes

And sometimes you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the sooner you get help the better.