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get analytical

EVALUATE YOUR SUBSTANCE USE

Even one “yes” answer may indicate a need to look carefully at your habits. Three or more “yes” answers indicate
that you may benefit from discussing your substance use with a counselor.
Within the last year:
Y N 1. Have you tried to stop drinking or taking drugs but found that you couldn’t do so for long?
Y N 2. Do you get tired of people telling you they’re concerned about your drinking or drug use?
Y N 3. Have you felt guilty about your drinking or drug use?
Y N 4. Have you felt that you needed a drink or drugs in the morning—as an “eye-opener”—to cope with a hangover?
Y N 5. Do you drink or use drugs alone?
Y N 6. Do you drink or use drugs every day?
Y N 7. Have you found yourself regularly thinking or saying you “need” a drink or any type of drug?
Y N 8. Have you lied about or concealed your drinking or drug use?
Y N 9. Do you drink or use drugs to escape worries, problems, mistakes, or shyness?
Y N 10. Do you find you need increasingly larger amounts of drugs or alcohol in order to achieve a desired effect?
Y N 11. Have you forgotten what happened while drinking or using drugs because you had a blackout?
Y N 12. Have you spent a lot of time, energy, or money getting alcohol or drugs?
Y N 13. Has your drinking or drug use caused you to neglect friends, your partner, your children, or other family
members, or caused other problems at home?
Y N 14. Have you gotten into an argument or a fight that was alcohol or drug-related?
Y N 15. Has your drinking or drug use caused you to miss class, fail a test, or ignore schoolwork?
Y N 16. Have you been choosing to drink or use drugs instead of attending social events or performing other
activities you used to enjoy?
Y N 17. Has your drinking or drug use affected your efficiency on the job or caused you to fail to show up at work?
Y N 18. Have you continued to drink or use drugs despite any physical problems that your use has caused or
made worse?
Y N 19. Have you driven a car or performed any other potentially dangerous tasks while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs?
Y N 20. Have you had a drug or alcohol-related legal problem or arrest (possession, use, disorderly conduct, driving
while intoxicated, etc.)?
Source: Adapted from the Criteria for Substance Dependence and Criteria for Substance Abuse in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C., and from materials entitled “Are You An Alcoholic?”
developed by Johns Hopkins University.

You are responsible for analyzing the potential consequences of what you intro-
duce into your body. Ask questions like the following:
■ What reward am I receiving from taking this risk, and it is worthwhile?
■ Am I taking drugs to escape from other problems?
■ What positive and negative effects might my behavior have?
■ Why do others want me to take drugs, and what do I really think of these people?
■ How would my drug use affect the people in my life?

Use the self-test to assess your relationship with drugs. If you believe you have a
problem, read the following section on steps that can help you get your life back on track.

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