I'm An Alcoholic! Are you?

Onhell

Onhell

Infinite Dreamer
No joke, if it was I'd put it in the madness forum. At any rate, turns out I'm an alcoholic. I was SHOCKED to find out since I rarely drink and when I do I usually only have 4 beers which don't even get me buzzed. HOWEVER, this is how I found out. The following questions are used by Johns Hopkins University Hospital in deciding whether or not a patient is alcoholic:

1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?

uh... No.

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?

Again... No.

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?

*sigh* NO!

4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?

What reputation? But seriously... No

5. Have you got into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?

Nope, didn't need drinking's help for that one...

6. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

Who hasn't? But no, not really.

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?

Hmm, define "lower" and "inferior."... No.

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare?

What family? No.

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?

No, but it's increased since I dumped my ex! :)

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?

Don't most working adults? Nope, not this one though.

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?

No.

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?

Oh no, quite he opposite! lol Sleep like a baby.

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?

to do what? vague and unclear...

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?

No.

15. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?

Again, don't most working folk do this? Anyway, no.

16. Do you drink alone?

Yes. Every 4 to 6 months I have a shot of vodka in my kitchen... alone. So what?

17. Have you evern had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
Complete No, partial, yes. I went out drinking with my buddy, I remember everything up to the time we got to the bar. I didn't drink an unusually large amount of alcohol, but still the next day from the time we were at the bar to when I got home is VERY hazy....

18. Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?

Haven't seen a doctor in 5 years and even before that... NO.

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

  No

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

Nope.

So how did I do? I answered two questions (16 and 17) with a "yes".

If you have answered YES to any ONE of the questions, there is a dfinite warning that you may be alcoholic

If you have answered YES to any TWO, the chances are that you are an alcoholic

If you have answered YES to THREE or MORE, and want to stop drinking contact A.A
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Fuck... guess I'm an alcoholic... are you?
 
Obviously, these questions don't apply to me in the present tense, as I quit drinking many years ago. But in my drinking days, 19 of those 20 would have been "yes" for me. The only "no" would have been the question about craving a drink at a specific time of day. I drank or used drugs all the time, and craved them all the time. Not one specific time, but rather every waking moment.

As to Onhell's situation:

a. The loss of memory question specifies a complete loss of memory for some very specific medical reasons. Partial doesn't count. That's a no for you.

b. Your "so what?" reaction to saying "yes" to #16 is actually completely typical for an alcoholic who has not yet realized that they are indeed alcoholic. That doesn't mean that you are an alcoholic; it only means that you're acting like one. Then again, people who act like drunks usually are drunks. Are you pissed off at me for effectively calling you a drunk? Of course you are: that's how drunks react to hearing such things. I know, because I am one. (If you're not even slightly annoyed, you're probably not a drunk.)

Onhell may have been trying to sarcastically point out that he thinks these 20 questions aren't a good test for alcoholism. But here's the truth: they are an excellent test. Their scoring scale has been proven correct over many, many years.

By the way, alcoholism has nothing to do with how much or how often you drink. It has to do with how you act and think. Sure, most alcoholics drink often and in great quantities. And most people (but not all) who have a cold sneeze. Don't confuse the symptom (sneezing or drinking) with the underlying disease (the common cold or alcoholism).
 
Let's do this.

1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?

No.

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?

No.

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?

No.

4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?

No. People make fun of me when I'm drunk, but it's all back to normal when I'm sober.

5. Have you got into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?

No. Partying, yes. But pure drinking, no.

6. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

"I'll never, ever, ever do this again." Until next week. No.

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?

Did that once, learned my lesson. No.

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare?

No.

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?

No.

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?

Definitely not.

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?

No.

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?

No. The opposite, as Onhell said.

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?

No.

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?

No.

15. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?

*Sigh* of course I get drunk when I get dumped. But since that does not happen regularly, no.

16. Do you drink alone?

No.

17. Have you evern had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?

Partial. Regarding SMX' post, no.

18. Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?

No.

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

No. I have a shot before I chat up a girl, but I doubt that counts.

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

No.

Apparently, I'm not alcoholic.
 
Perun said:
19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

No. I have a shot before I chat up a girl, but I doubt that counts.
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That is what we call Dutch Courage, I believe. ;)

I had a look at those questions and can't say I need to answer anything with any other answer than no. As my Mother would tell me, alcoholism is not about how much you drink, it's more the dependency on it (this was her counter argument to me suggesting that most of the punters in a bar I used to work in were alcoholics - it turns out they would be just plain heavy drinkers). As SMX said, there is a difference between the two - alcoholics and heavy drinkers.
 
Dutch Courage? Never heard of it! ;)

I'll answer all questions with "no" apart from:

6. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

One time I regretted that I stepped on my bike after many beers at let’s say 4 o’clock in the night. I hit the curb (on the left side!) and fell on my chin. Didn’t feel anything of it. At home I fell asleep immediately (with clothes on) and the next day my parents pointed at my open chin.

One other day I was dancing (or better call it jumping) with lots of alcohol and wearing combat boots. I made a fool of myself, because I sprained my ankle and was injured for quite some time.

So, don’t drink and dance and don’t drink and cycle. ;)
 
My question is regarding "drinking alone".  Does that make it wrong for a person to have a beer themselves while relaxing at home once every now and then?
 
Wrong? Hmm, no depends what you call "now and then".

I know people who drink 1 or 2 beers every day, but to call them alcoholics or ehavy drinkers, nah..
 
Since my husband is 15 years older than me, he's been thorugh a lot. He was addicted to cocaine in the '80s when he lived in California for 2 years. He moved back here to PA because of it. He still smoked weed until the year after we met. But booze? He never told me he was addicted to it. But he had 2 leg surgeries in about 4 years due to varicose veins and he would drink Heineken and watch the OJ trial.

Since I met him when I was 19, we didn't go to the bar. When I turned 21 he took me out, and I tried some mixed drinks. We went on vacation in San Francisco and I got shitfaced, but I wasn't craving liquor. I am not an alcoholic. But I enjoy a drink every now and then. Who doesn't? We rarely drink anymore, unless we go to a bar and see a band or something. We never drink at home. I know my limit on the booze. When I get a buzz, I know it's time to slow up. I yacked once cuz I drank too much. Never again!
 
The only one I would answer yes to is: 20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking? That was a very unfortunate incident where I nearly passed out after puking practically my guts out. I learned my limit the hard way and since then I have never drank so much and so uncontrollably (although I did puke again from excess alcohol, but I was 'with it' and making myself puke more to get it out of my system and I sobered up pretty much after that instead of nearly passing out).
 
And by the way, I answered no to all of those questions. Although I have stayed up real late cuz we would go out to a bar and not get home until after 2am then I have to go to work on a Sunday (every Sunday!)  :mad: on like 4 hours sleep, but I feel like shit cuz I got 4 hours of sleep. Not due to liquor.
 
Forostar said:
Dutch Courage? Never heard of it! ;)
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It dates back several hundred years when the plague hit London. The only people willing to trade with the Londoners at that time were the Dutch who would have a drink or two before to pluck up the courage to sail up the Thames.
 
Natalie said:
The only one I would answer yes to is: 20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking? That was a very unfortunate incident where I nearly passed out after puking practically my guts out.
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That doesn't really count for #20. It would be a 'yes' to #18 ("Has a doctor ever treated you for drinking?"). Here's why...

The 20 questions were developed many, many years ago - somewhere on the order of a few decades. I think they date back to the 1950s, but I'm not 100% sure. At that time, rehabs (as we know such facilities today) were virtually non-existent. If you needed long term rehab for alcoholism, you either went to the detox unit in a hospital or to a mental asylum.

A modern equivalent of the #20 question would be: Have you ever been to rehab?


As to the issue of drinking alone: if a non-alcoholic is ever going to answer "yes" to any of these, it's that question. The occasional beer-at-home-after-work was not a common phenomenon in the 1950s (for non-alcoholics). It has become much more common since then.


While the 20 questions are a useful diagnostic tool, none of them cut to the real heart of alcoholism. There's really only one question you have to ask yourself:

When you start drinking, can you stop after just one?

If you answer "no", you're a drunk like me. If you answer "yes, I can stop", then you're not an alcoholic.

Loophole coverage: most alcoholics can stop after just one, if their alcoholism has not progressed too far and they exert great willpower. But even then, it's very difficult. So perhaps a sticter version of the question would be: When you start drinking, can you easily stop after just one?
 
So...yes.  I have no issues stopping after one.  But I sure know a lot of people who do...
 
Oh cool then I'm not an alcoholic... fuck not even a drunk... but I know quite a few then, and a few alcoholics as well.

@SMX, your post didn't annoy me in the least, I found it oddly amusing, but then again that my be my defense mechanism, but from both your posts I gathered I'm "ok".  I still think these questions are better if taken under the guidance of a proffesional, just in case of any doubt.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
That doesn't really count for #20. It would be a 'yes' to #18 ("Has a doctor ever treated you for drinking?"). Here's why...

The 20 questions were developed many, many years ago - somewhere on the order of a few decades. I think they date back to the 1950s, but I'm not 100% sure. At that time, rehabs (as we know such facilities today) were virtually non-existent. If you needed long term rehab for alcoholism, you either went to the detox unit in a hospital or to a mental asylum.

A modern equivalent of the #20 question would be: Have you ever been to rehab?


As to the issue of drinking alone: if a non-alcoholic is ever going to answer "yes" to any of these, it's that question. The occasional beer-at-home-after-work was not a common phenomenon in the 1950s (for non-alcoholics). It has become much more common since then.


While the 20 questions are a useful diagnostic tool, none of them cut to the real heart of alcoholism. There's really only one question you have to ask yourself:

When you start drinking, can you stop after just one?

If you answer "no", you're a drunk like me. If you answer "yes, I can stop", then you're not an alcoholic.

Loophole coverage: most alcoholics can stop after just one, if their alcoholism has not progressed too far and they exert great willpower. But even then, it's very difficult. So perhaps a sticter version of the question would be: When you start drinking, can you easily stop after just one?
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I've answered these Q&As a few times and it always says that I'm an alcoholic. Generally, I'm not satisfied with one drink, and will want more, and always drink far over the recommended limit (which is ridiculous btw) BUT I do have a large capacity for drink. I don't find it easy at all to stop after one drink, but unlike some alcoholics that I've spoken to, I very much enjoy the taste of beer. HOWEVER I've always thought that I couldn't be an alcoholic because if I want to I can go for extended periods of time without having a drink at all, say 5/6 weeks, and surely longer if I was so inclined. What do you reckon, SMX?
 
Wow, the outcome ain't that good for me...

1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?

Nope.

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?

No.

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?

No

4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?

Well maybe in a good way. People often consider me very friendly when I meet them while drunk.

5. Have you got into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?

Well, it happened that I spent my savings on drinking, but my savings are incredibly small, so I would say no.

6. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

Well, I have done somethings I regret while being drunk, so yeah.

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?

Nope.

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare?

No, if anything, drinking makes me empathic.

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?

Can't say that it has.

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?

No.

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?

The next morning after a drinkning night? the only drink i need then is WATER. and lots of it.

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Like onhell and perun, sleeping is increased :D

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?

Well, sometimes, the next day after a pretty heavy drinkin session I have trouble getting it together, but nothing a cup of coffee can't solve.

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?

No.

15. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?

Nope, mostly i drink at celebrations. :)

16. Do you drink alone?

Nope, I find no point in that

17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?

Actually yes, just last month. I was at a fest, and one night between about 2 or 3 am and next day when I woke up, I can't remember a single thing. I was told i had done some pretty funny things, but that's just me when I'm drunk.

18. Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?

No.

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

Sometimes. Bad myth, though.

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

Nope.

So that's 2 yes, and 2 maybes, so it doesn't look to good :| . Plus, I can't say i can easily[/] stop after one drink, but I can. I don't have a very strong willpower and that's why drinking is the only vice i can indulge on, cause I know i wouldn't be powerful enough to quit any other, stronger one.
 
I'm totally PISSED, but that's because I just had my good-bye party (for all those who don't know, I'm moving next week), so why am I even posting this?
 
Perun said:
I'm totally PISSED, but that's because I just had my good-bye party (for all those who don't know, I'm moving next week), so why am I even posting this?
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I'm on a weekend bender.
 
Onhell said:
I was SHOCKED to find out since I rarely drink and when I do I usually only have 4 beers which don't even get me buzzed.
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Onhell, you are in serious trouble my friend. The 20 questions are a moot point; 4 beers and not even a buzz? I can answer "yes" to at least a handfull of these questions and even I feel a buzz after 4. Get help!!  :lol:
 
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