An Invitation to Open-minded Search for Answers

 

In our experience, persons who’ve been forced by others to admit they have an addiction problem are off to a poor start. Not only does this approach provoke a natural resistance from most adults, but it also tends to obscure the facts of the situation.

On the other hand, a mature adult by definition is one who is would want to discover whether or not she or he has an addiction problem.

There are few things that can undermine one’s efforts towards career, family, health and financial security to the same degree as an addiction to alcohol or other mood altering drugs. Similarly, any of the other addictions, such as: gambling, debt-ing, anorexia/bulimia, pornography, etc. are potentially destructive to our life goals.

It should be emphasized too that not all drinking or drug use problems are addiction or alcoholism. Many problems that have been caused or aggravated by alcohol or drug use can be improved by less drastic methods than are indicated for addicts or alcoholics.  For non-alcoholics, such methods as cutting back, abstaining for a time, limiting occasions when one indulges, e.g. after work or weekends, can be a great help. 

It is important, therefore, that a person knows where their problem lies on the spectrum of problems that can be attributed to alcohol or drug use.

If your world is already collapsing down around your shoulders as the result of your alcohol or drug use, it is probably easy to see that any further drinking or drug use is inadvisable – to say the least. In such a case help is urgently recommended.

However, you or a loved one may have been experiencing more subtle changes in the quality of life, such as: atypical unreliability, financial difficulties, unaccustomed emotional disturbance (e.g. anxieties and depression), relationship or legal problems. In such a case, if there is alcohol or another drug in regular use, the prudent response would be to take a careful look to see if there is a cause/effect relationship between this and the changes in life quality.

 

 

If you are having concerns of this nature about your own alcohol/drug use or those of a loved one, we invite you to use the following brief questionnaire.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

1. Do you find yourself drinking/using more than you meant to?
2. Have you had a strong desire to cut down on your drinking/using?
3. Has drinking/using caused you difficulties in your work or social life?
4. Have you given up, reduced or significantly modified important social, recreational or occupational activities because of your drinking/using?
5. Are you less efficient than you used to be?
6. Are you less ambitious than you use to be?
7. Have you continued to drink/use in the face of continuing social or physical problems caused or aggravated by the use of alcohol/drugs?
8. Does it take more alcohol/drug now than it used to take to achieve the desire effect of drinking/using?
9. Is drinking/using making it harder for you to sleep through the night?
10. Have you been arrested for driving under the influence?

 

“SIGNIFICANT-OTHER” CHECK LIST

 

1. Do you worry about your friend’s drinking/ drug use?
2. Has your friend’s drinking/ drug use ever embarrassed you?
3. Has you friend promised to quit and failed to do so?
4. Have you had to lie/fib to your friend’s boss, relatives or others to cover his or her drinking/using?
5. Has your friend driven a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs?
6. Has another party expressed concern over you friend’s drinking/ drug use?
7. Are you nervous riding with your friend when he or she is driving?
8. Does less alcohol/drug seem now to have greater effect than before on his/her mood or behavior?
9. Does you friend justify his or her drinking/drug use as being normal and describe your concern as unnecessary?
10. Does your friend tell people he/she has no problem because all they use is beer or marijuana?

 

SCORING

 

 

1. If you AND your significant-other answered “No” to all questions, you certainly do not seem to have a pattern of use that is affecting your life negatively.
2. If you answered “Yes” once OR if your significant-other answered “Yes” once, a reasonable person might want to explore the matter further.