I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On weeknights,
it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.

Am I an alcoholic?

In article <IqyWa.106405$QH3.73779@fe07.atl2.webusenet.com> ,
juan@columbiancoffee.com says... while attaching C4 explosives to
computer and foaming at the mouth!

> I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
> result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
> usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On weeknights,
> it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
>
> Am I an alcoholic?
>

Be honest now if you are serious with your question.... :0)

---------------------------------------------------------------
AM I AN ALCOHOLIC?
The sub-questions are designed to help shed light on the basic question.
Read them only if necessary, but don't count them separately. What will
eventually happen is that you will have a discussion with yourself; this
is only an outline to give your conversation some constructive
direction.

This survey was written by recovering people. They had the same
questions while they were still drinking or using and probably came up
with the same answers. They survived and so will you. But there needs to
be a starting point, and question No. 1 is as good a place as any ...

1. Is there some particular reason why you are concerned about your
drinking at this time?

Are you drinking more often that you used to, or greater quantities when
you do drink?
Are you able to drink more without getting drunk?
Do you sometimes have the shakes or other discomfort the next morning,
and does a pick-me-up drink help make you feel better?

2. Is one of the reasons for your concern the fact that some people are
getting on your back about your drinking?

Do close friends say you are acting differently these days, or that you
undergo some kind of personality change when you drink?
Are they suggesting that you cut down or cut it out?

3. Do you have other friends that you prefer to be around these days --
people who don't mind your drinking, or don't mention it?

Are these new friends that you've recently made?
Are they fairly good drinkers, also?
Do you have much else in common with them, or are drinking-related
activities your main bond?
Do you tend to prefer social events where drinking is more readily
available?

4. Have you had more than two or three memory lapses (called blackouts)
in the past 90 days?

After an evening or other period of drinking, have you forgotten where
you left your car?
Or how you got home?
Have you had to call someone the next day to fill you in on what you
were doing the night before?

5. Do you sometimes regret things that you may have said or done while
you were drinking?

Are you ever embarrassed to the extent that you want to avoid certain
people, or going back to a place where you may have done some foolish
things?
Do you wish that you could undo those things, or ever think that less
drinking might help prevent them from happening again?

6. Do you drink more than the people you are with, or do you ever load
up your drinks so others don't notice what you are doing?

Do you order or mix doubles for yourself while others are drinking
singles?
Do you carry an extra supply with you in case the host runs out, or the
bar closes before you are ready to quit?
Is there anything unusual about your drinking habits that might make
other people wonder!

7. Have you gotten careless about things that used to be important to
you, or have you dropped certain activities from your routine?

Do you spend less time with your children, spouse, or other family
members than you used to?
Are you less interested in some of your former hobbies or sports or
entertainment source?
Are you reducing outside activities that interfere with your drinking?

8. Have you tried or considered changing things in your life in order to
get along better and eliminate some of the problems?

Have you thought of leaving your spouse, or the family, or going away
for a while to give everybody a little extra space?
Have you thought about changing jobs, or maybe even moving to another
part of the country where you could make a clean start, without the
hassles and disadvantages from the past?

9. Do you ever wonder if some of the problems that may accompany your
drinking would be lessened or go away, if you decided to stop entirely?

Are there family arguments that might not flare up so often?
Would work (or school) tardiness or absenteeism be somewhat improved?
Are there financial or business setbacks that could be reduced?
Insurance problems? Checkbook or household budget balancing?
Difficulties in meeting obligations or paying back loans?

10. Have you ever promised yourself that you would really try to cut
down on your drinking without quitting altogether?

Have you tried skipping certain nights of the week, or hours of the day,
when you wouldn't drink at all?
Have you tried switching brands or type of alcohol in order to keep from
getting so drunk or losing control so much?
Have you tried putting someone else in charge of your drinking to help
you cut down?

11. Have you ever tried to quit -- totally -- and not been able to?

Have you ever set a date or duration when you would actually try to
stop?
Were there reasons why the effort really never took hold, or the timing
never seemed right?
Did your promise to quit seem less important when the deadline to quit
rolled around?
Was it easier to continue drinking than to fight the situation, and are
you still drinking at this time?

12. Was it difficult for you to make this self examination, and is this
a subject you consider too personal to discuss with others?

Do you intentionally avoid discussions about your drinking or its
complications?
Do you sometimes have your spouse or other persons intervene for you, or
make excuses about your tardiness or other related problems?
SCORING

This is the simplest scoring system in the annals of do-it-yourself
testing. Any "YES" answer to a main or sub-question has earned you
membership in a not very exclusive population of several million people
with drinking or drugging problems. The more "YES's" you toted up, the
better off you are. Every "YES" you were able to mentally put down was a
striking symbol of personal honesty. It meant that you have begun the
process of self-realization -- a principle in which virtually all
recovery problems are based. Without personal recognition of your
condition, there can be no meaningful recovery.

If you will consider each "YES" to be a minor victory in this same
sense, you might want to take the test again and see how many more
"YES's" you can identify. The enemies of recovery are guilt, denial and
alibis. The allies are acceptance, understanding and honesty.

If the results of the test suggest that you, or whoever you took the
test for, are an alcoholic or other chemical dependent, congratulations.
Now you're getting somewhere.

This one time, on Fri, 1 Aug 2003 11:43:22 -0700, "Juan Valdez"
<juan@columbiancoffee.com> said:

>I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
>result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
>usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On weeknights,
>it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
>
>Am I an alcoholic?

It's hard for someone else to say if you are, Juan. There may be
people who drink a lot more, but can control it if need be. For me, I
had to realize that I couldn't moderate, and only have a couple of
beers at a party. Or that I couldn't have just two drinks a night.
Or even that I couldn't *not* drink all evening. And that all that
meant I was an alcoholic.

So quizzes may help you express what's true for you, but you've got to
make that final call. Hope this helps!

--
xian (at) simple world music (dot) com
"In everything and all I need, I know there's something in between
This simple world has more than I can see."

"Juan Valdez" <juan@columbiancoffee.com> wrote in message
news:IqyWa.106405$QH3.73779@fe07.atl2.webusenet.co m...
> I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
> result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
> usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On
weeknights,
> it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
>
> Am I an alcoholic?
>
People who don't have a drinking problem rarely question how much they
consume.

"Juan Valdez" <juan@columbiancoffee.com> wrote in message
news:IqyWa.106405$QH3.73779@fe07.atl2.webusenet.co m...
> I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
> result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
> usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On
weeknights,
> it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
>
> Am I an alcoholic?
>
Seems to me alcoholism is more about the ability to moderate, or stop, than
how much one drinks.

Have you tried hard to moderate?

http://anonpress.org/bb/Page_21.htm

Bob

"Moonraker" <fuggadaboutit@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:sPzWa.16326$BY2.2053@fe02.atl2.webusenet.com. ..
>
> "Juan Valdez" <juan@columbiancoffee.com> wrote in message
> news:IqyWa.106405$QH3.73779@fe07.atl2.webusenet.co m...
> > I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
> > result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night
I
> > usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On
> weeknights,
> > it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
> >
> > Am I an alcoholic?
> >
> People who don't have a drinking problem rarely question how much they
> consume.
>

Don't believe you could have any evidence at all for that claim.

According to AA, there is significant difference between a mere drinking
problem, and the alcoholism they refer to. Countless folk can and have
moderated, or stopped, after questioning how much they consume.

http://anonpress.org/bb/Page_21.htm
"If a sufficiently strong reason - ill health, falling in love, change of
environment, or the warning of a doctor - becomes operative, this man can
also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and
may even need medical attention."

Bob

"Bpyboy" <bpyboy@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030801170459.07529.00000749@mb-m14.aol.com...
> That was always my point. Would you be here if you weren't concerned?

I have heard a plausible argument that questioning ones sanity, is a sign of
sanity!

Bob

>
> Am I an alcoholic?


what do you think?
are you concerned?
have you gotten in trouble due to your drinking?
can you stop?
can you drink less?

--
read and post daily, it works!
rosie

http://www.costofwar.com
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...m/economy_dc_2





"Juan Valdez" <juan@columbiancoffee.com> wrote in message news:IqyWa.106405$QH3.73779@fe07.atl2.webusenet.co m...
> I probably drink 5 or 6 nights per week. Maybe one of those nights will
> result in getting "plowed", usually Fri or Sat. The other weekend night I
> usually drink moderately...maybe six beers (or equivalent). On weeknights,
> it's usually 2-4 drinks. Maybe one weeknight I'll have a little more.
>
> Am I an alcoholic?
>
>
>
>
>

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 16:30:10 -0400, "Moonraker" <fuggadaboutit@bellsouth.net>
wrote:
>People who don't have a drinking problem rarely question how much they
>consume.
>
-----------------------------
Moon, I'd say basically you're right, but.... ;-)
It sounds to me too much like a self- fulfilling prophecy, like "I must be an
alcoholic, otherwise I wouldn't be here.
But Juan, the question that would bother me more (with hindsight) is:
Can I stop it? Can I really kick the habbit?
This is the real obstacle alcoholics stumble over. My game went like:
1. "sure I can stop. Anytime" (falls off the chair)
2. (next morning): "I'll never drink again".
3. (couple of days later): "I'll drink nothing for 3 months
4. (after 3 weeks or so) "I'll not drink this month"
5. (at the end of the month): "There! I proved it!!!! I didn't drink!!! I am not
an alcoholic, I "merely" have a drinking problem that I can handle as shown in
the last month"
6. Back to the bar to celebrate my "victory" over the booze
7. back to 1.
Of course, when I had a row with my boss or anyone, really, I said to myself
"what the hell. Who do I need to prove anything to? I can have a drink anytime".
The point is, I could always find an excuse to drink. I had really gotten good
at finding excuses.
So Juan, instead of worrying if you are an alcoholic you should worry about
getting sober and making it stick with NO EXCUSES (sorry for the shouting).
If you find out you lapse (or find an excuse, same thing. trust me on this), you
should get help. Than you have a tough road ahead which, to my knowledge, very
very few people have managed to walk alone unaided.
And a fact for you to think about: I had "proved" to myself that I had merely a
"problem" with alcohol by staying totally abstinent for 4 years (!!!). Then I
thought I could drink again, moderately. I was wrong. I crashed and burned, but
I learned in the end.
Best wishes,
Mike.

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 21:37:49 GMT, "Shawster" <shawster@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

>
>"Robert McGregor" <robert_mcgregor@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
>news:bgelq7$mir7q$1@ID-49289.news.uni-berlin.de...
>>
>> "Bpyboy" <bpyboy@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:20030801170459.07529.00000749@mb-m14.aol.com...
>> > That was always my point. Would you be here if you weren't concerned?
>>
>> I have heard a plausible argument that questioning ones sanity, is a sign
>of
>> sanity!
>
>I know I'm insane, so how does that work??
>
>Shaw
>
>
-----------------------
so you are paradoxically insane o-)
Mike,