Alcoholism Self Test: Can You Diagnose If You Are An Alcoholic?

There are some people out there who refuse to admit that they have a drinking problem. How many times have you heard someone, or even yourself say "I only drink every now and then. I do not have a problem". There is no one who can diagnose if you are an alcoholic especially since the medical community can't really agree on a definition. . Other people may have a idea that you might have a drinking problem, but only you know how much you drink and if you are able to stop drinking. If you think you might have a problem, a alcoholism self test might be something for you to try.

The internet is a great resource of tools for you to use to try and see if you might have a drinking problem or habits that might lead to bigger problems down the road. These tests are not to be used in place of medical advice. You will find that most of these tests are self scoring.

First these tests will tell show you what a standard drink consist of such as a 12 ounce can or bottle of beer. You might then be asked how many standard drinks you drink in a week. Usually the next section will ask you about your pattern of drinking. You will have to answer questions such as how many days in a month did you drink NO alcohol, and on how many days did you drink only 1-2 drinks. This is usually where you might find if your drinking is truly a social thing. Most social drinkers do not drink daily, and usually have no more than 3 drinks a day. If you find that you are out of these guidelines for the worse, you might want to think about cutting down.

A self test will also ask you about what causes you to drink. You will be given a situation and then asked how heavily you drank due to that situation. For example when you are experiencing physical pain do you not drink heavily, sometimes drink heavily or usually drink heavily. This will show you where you are at the greatest risk for drinking heavily. You might find that it is your pattern to drink heavily whenever you have a bad or stressful day. Or you may find that going out with friend's leads you to drink heavily. Now you know what triggers you to drink heavily, and you can take steps to change it.

You might also find self tests that include a section called a short form alcohol dependence data. In this section you will have to look at how alcohol affects your life. You might find questions asking if you plan your day around when and where you can drink. Once you answer the questions, you will be scored and the higher your score, the more dependent on alcohol you are.

These tests will never be able to diagnose you as being an alcoholic but rather what your dependency on alcohol is. Alcoholics tend to have a high dependency on alcohol and if your results show that you have a high dependence, then it might be time to talk to your doctor.

Jeff(at)alcoholabusehelpguide.com