Alcoholism Health Risk Assessment

Alcoholism is a very serious disease that is often fatal. If alcohol is controlling your life you may need to seek professional help because alcoholism can lead to serious health, work-related, and financial problems. Currently there are approximately 14 million people who are affected by alcoholism in the United States and more than 100,000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes each year.

We've designed a simple quiz to help you to determine if you are suffering from alcoholism and are in need of help. Please keep in mind this quiz cannot diagnose you with alcoholism, but it may be used as a tool to help you determine if you should seek further evaluation of your risk for alcoholism from your doctor.

Please complete Parts A, B, and C.

PART A

	Do you feel guilty when you drink?
	Yes       No
	Do you become easily agitated and annoyed when people question how much or often you drink?
	Yes       No
	Do you ever drink alcohol first thing in the morning to help calm your nerves?
	Yes       No
	Do you ever feel as though you should decrease the amount you are drinking?
	Yes       No

PART B

Below is a list of different types of alcoholic drinks that are equal to "1 drink" to help you determine how much you are drinking.

Standard drink (1 drink) =

	How many drinks of alcohol do you have each day?
	0-1       2-4       5 or more
	How many drinks of alcohol do you drink per week on average?
	0-2       3-4       5 or more
	What is the maximum number of drinks of alcohol that you have had on a single occasion in the past month?
	0-1       2-4       5 or more

PART C

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your life and health by decreasing the amount of alcohol you drink. If you are unsure if you drink too much, answer the following questions.

	Do you often drink alone or in secret?
	Yes       No
	Do you often forget conversations or commitments you have recently made?
	Yes       No
	Do you get anxious and irritable when alcohol isn't available, especially near usual drinking times?
	Yes       No
	Does your drinking worry your family?
	Yes       No
	Does your drinking often cause you to be late to work or other important functions?
	Yes       No
	Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
	Yes       No
	Do you ever tell yourself you will stop drinking, but then drink again anyway?
	Yes       No

Last Updated: March 2008
This content was created by members of the DrugDigest team of experts and is solely under DrugDigest's editorial control.