.... are yes/no questions. They aren't "on a scale of 1 to 10" questions.
I saw them years ago when I was drinking, and I treated them like 1 to 10. I didn't have any 10s, I had a few 1s, and averaged a 5. I didn't think that was too bad, then I read at the bottom where it said if you answer yes to ANY of these questions, you may have a problem.
Hmm.
I didn't realize at the time that a 2 is a "yes", but even my attempt at hedging and minimizing and averaging still landed me solidly on the yes side of "you may be an alcoholic if..."
I think one question may be enough... when I showed up at my first meeting some smartass said "You're probably not here because you eat too many strawberries".
Interesting subject, brought me back to when I came in the rooms in 1984 in Cleveland we always used the Who...Me? pamplet, it was helpful in helping ,me accept the 1st step.
Not sure how different it is from the guides used today. I posted it below if anyone is interested.
Who...Me? In order, to determine whether you have drifted from social drinking into alcoholic drinking it is good to ask yourself a few questions. It is possible - but not probable - that you may fool somebody else but you must be honest with yourself. If you want the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, you must want to become and remain sober because alcohol has you, beat. An alcoholic? Well, here are some questions, to ask yourself. 1. Do you require a drink the next morning? 2. Do you prefer to drink alone? 3. Do you lose time from work due to drinking? 4. Is drinking harming your family in any way? 5. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily? 6. Do you get the inner shakes unless you continue drinking? 7. Has drinking made you irritable? 8. Does drinking make you careless of your familys welfare? 9. Have you thought less of your husband or wife since drinking? 10.. Has drinking changed your personality? 11.Does drinking cause you bodily complaints? 12.Does drinking make you restless? 13.Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? 14.Has drinking made you more impulsive? 15.Have you less self-control since drinking? 16.Has your initiative decreased since drinking? 17.Has your ambition decreased since drinking? 18.Do you lack perseverance in pursuing a goal since drinking? 19.Do you drink to obtain social ease? (In shy, timid, self-conscious individuals) 20.Do you drink for self-encouragement? (In persons with feelings of inferiority) 21.Do you drink to relieve marked feeling of inadequacy? 22.Has your sexual potency suffered since drinking? 23.Do you show marked dislikes and hatreds since drinking? 24.Has your jealousy, in general, increased since drinking? 25.Do you show marked moodiness as a result of drinking? 26.Has your efficiency decreased since drinking? 27.Has drinking made you more sensitive? 28.Are you harder to get along with since drinking? 29.Do you turn to an inferior environment since drinking? 30.Is drinking endangering your health? 31.Is drinking affecting your peace of mind? 32.Is drinking making your home life unhappy? 33.Is drinking jeopardizing your business your job? 34.Is drinking clouding your reputation? 35.Is drinking disturbing the harmony of your life? Note: These questions are not AA questions but are the guide used by JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL in deciding whether a patient is alcoholic or not. In addition we in AA would ask even more. Here are a few: 36.Have you ever had a complete loss of memory (blackout) while, or after drinking? 37.Have you ever felt, when or after drinking, an inability to concentrate? 38.Have you ever felt remorse after drinking? 39.Has a physician ever treated you for drinking? 40.Have you ever been hospitalized for drinking? Aof these Questions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic. If you have answered YES to any two of these Questions, chances are, you are an alcoholic. If you have answered YES to any two of these Questions, chances are, you are an alcoholic. If you answer YES to three or more of these Questions, you are definitely an alcoholic. No one in AA can tell you whether you are an alcoholic. This you must decide for yourself. Once you have made that decision then you are ready to take the FIRST STEP: "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable.CCORDING TO THE HOPKINS STUDY if you answered YES to any
__________________
Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
LOL... I think I probably have about 20 out of 40 there and it only takes 3 to be "definitely an alcoholic".
I didn't really change a whole lot when drinking. Then again, I did an awful lot of my drinking alone so I don't really know how much I would have been perceived differently.
I like this one: "23.Do you show marked dislikes and hatreds since drinking?"
I loved those questionaires, they were the only test I could pass! I tried some for other fellowhips recently but failed dismally. Guess I'm just a standard alcoholic with no exotic extras!
