Twenty Questions
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Are you an alcoholic?
To answer this question, ask yourself the following 20 questions and answer them as honestly as you can.
1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?
2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
6. Have you often gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?
8. Does your drinking make you careless of your familys welfare?
9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
11. Do you want a drink the next morning?
12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?
15. Do you drink to escape worries or troubles?
16. Do you drink alone?
17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?
19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?
If you have answered YES to any of the questions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic.
If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic..
If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.
Note: The test questions above are used by Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland and other health care providers to help in determining whether or not a patient is an alcoholic.
each one of us must decide for ourselves whether we are alcoholic.
then, each one has to decide what, if anything, to do about it.
if the decision is to do nothing and continue using, others in your life may well decide to make decisions for themselves. mainly for their own self-preservation -- living with a using alcoholic over time becomes a very dark, dismal existence, lacking in hopefulness, and full of isolation over time and with very negative financial, spiritual, physical, legal and emotional repercussions.
it is generally accepted that alcoholism is a disease. it is incurable at this time. there is no known cure.
the effects of the disease of alcoholism can be arrested only my abstinence -- not drinking alcohol or using any other mind altering drugs.
the disease is progressive, meaning that it gets worse over time with continued use. sometimes, very rapidly.
without abstinence, a person with the disease is highly likely to experience one of three ultimate resutls: death, insanity or jail.
most alcoholics will try to quit drinking or limit their intake in some form or fashion. inability to do so usually simply means the person is alcoholic. in most cases, an alcoholic needs help and support in order to abstain from alcohol use.
unlike other disease, denial of the disease -- that is, denial of a problem with alcohol and it's effects on the individual (or rationalizing or minimizing those effects) -- is a part of the disease itself.
self acceptance and admittance of the disease of alcoholism is part of the start of recovery from the disease. constant reminders or systems of reminders are often helpful, becausee an alcoholic will often deny the disease and resume using even after sobriety is achieved. this is also part of the disease syndrome.
alcohol is a drug, a very powerful drug. unlide many other addictive drugs, it's simply a drug that is legal in the US.
many have found a permanent solution to the disease only my attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve total abstinence. the only requirement for attending meetings is a desire to quit drinking and injesting alcohol. a commitment to quit is not a requirement to attend, although many do commit to abstain, one day at a time, as a means of regaining sobriet, and personal sanity, and control over their lives.
if you are reading this post because you think you might have a problem with alcohol, then you probably do have a problem with alcohol and are probably alcoholic. there is help available to you. there are resources that you can access that will offer you relief from the ill effects you are experiencing. it will take time and work, but so does drinking. these resources will also help you resolve issues with the guilt, shame, resentments, anger and lack of self esteem associated with your disease of alcoholism and your repeated inability to quit using and injesting alcohol through the exercise of your will power alone.
peace be with you. if you think that i can be of assistance to you in any way in answering your questions, please post here and let me know. if so, please simply express a desire to stop drinking alcohol or using other mind altering drugs.
peace be with you and may peace come to your household.
