Page 104 - Keys to College Success

get analytical

EVALUATE YOUR SUBSTANCE USE

Even one “yes” answer to the following questions may indicate a need to examine 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 f nd 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 f ght 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 eff ciency 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 inf uence 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 Disor-
ders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, and from materials entitled “Are You An Alcoholic?” developed
by Johns Hopkins University.

using drugs or if drug use impairs your performance. Finally, long-term drug use can
damage your body and mind. Key 3.5 has comprehensive information about the most
commonly used illicit drugs.
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?

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