Am I a High-Functioning Alcoholic? Know the Signs

Relapse is very common when people with alcohol use disorders are trying to quit. Asking for help with alcoholism can be difficult because it requires you to admit that you’re powerless over your drinking. However, it’s possible to stop drinking alcohol and work toward recovery, no matter how severe the problem may seem. While helpful in determining whether your current drinking habits may put you at risk of an AUD, self-assessment with these tests should not be considered as a final diagnosis. Taking online tests is often a safe way to begin thinking about your alcohol consumption.

Substance use disorder is a primary, chronic, and progressive disease that sometimes can be fatal. No matter your background or expertise, your loved one will likely need outside am i an alcohoic help. In “case management,” a professional may work with you one-on-one. Outpatient programs make it possible for you to get treatment during the day and still live at home.

Choose Between Two Quizzes Both Developed for Clinical Screening:

However, once they are free of external restraints, they will drink to their heart’s content. Treatment for alcoholism often involves a combination of therapy, medication, and support. If you think you might have an alcohol use disorder or if you are worried that your alcohol consumption has become https://ecosoberhouse.com/ problematic, it is important to talk to your doctor to discuss your treatment options. Only a professional can diagnose you with an alcohol use disorder. But the questions above can help you reflect on your relationship with alcohol and may give you insight into whether you have a problem.

Instead, this questionnaire is designed to assist you with examining your behaviors and the nature of your substance use or the substance use of a loved one. If an online assessment suggests you might have an alcohol problem, consider calling us to explore your options. Alcohol.org is a subsidiary of American Addiction Centers (AAC), a nationwide provider of addiction treatment facilities. We are passionate about helping those in need get the help they deserve and find freedom from addiction. Having a drinking problem can be detrimental to your life, in more ways than one. It can wreak havoc on your health, cause you to perform poorly at work and isolate you from your friends and family.

What’s the Difference Between Casual Drinking and Alcoholism?

It’s common to hear them say, “The only reason I drink is because you…” Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal. When you have a problematic relationship with alcohol, alcohol may become the center of your life. You may schedule your life around activities that involve alcohol and pass on those that don’t. You may even be too intoxicated or hungover to attend certain events.

• For example, if you drink 7 days a week and 5 drinks a day at $8 a beverage, you’re likely spending around $280 a week, $1,213 a month, and $14,560 a year.
• There is no one-size-fits-all solution for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• Alcohol use disorder typically develops gradually over time.
• The most common health effects include heart, liver and nerve damage, as well as memory problems and sexual dysfunction.
• Withdrawal symptoms appear when the body’s need for alcohol isn’t met.

But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions. Some people seem to be just fine even though they abuse alcohol. You may hear them called  “functional” or “high-functioning” alcoholics. When they’re honest, self-assessments are some of the best tools we have to determine whether there might be a problem. A quiz result may act as the mirror we so badly needed to reflect the situation’s truth. While some people disguise their drinking habits by attempting to normalize them, others take the opposite tack, going to pains to hide any evidence of their behavior.

CAGE Alcohol Assessment Quiz

We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. Still, while numbers may offer a helpful tool to cut through denial, they’re far from the only measure to determine whether someone has a problem. But if you think you or a loved one may have a drinking problem, there are a few considerations to keep in mind and questions to ask that may help the truth ring clear.

• It is our hope that with increased awareness, more and more people will get help with their alcohol problems.
• I decided in order for me to stay clean and sober, I have to be around people that are like me.
• Discovering you aren’t just a casual drinker and are facing an alcohol problem can be shocking.
• I spent close to four decades just chasing the next high to stay comfortably numb — it was better than letting in the anger and rage.
• An assessment test is a simple battery of questions about alcoholism that will help you determine if you have a drinking problem, or worse.

An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours. First off, both the problem drinker and the alcoholic need to address their drinking.

Financial Benefits of Quitting Drinking

Lean on the people around you, and, if you need to, reach out to a mental health professional to speak about your stress and what you’re going through. Either AUD or alcohol abuse can take the form of heavy drinking or binge drinking. The AUDIT test is a 10-item questionnaire that takes mere minutes to complete. For mental health practitioners who feel that 10 questions take too long or have a patient who may not be willing to answer all the questions, there is a three-item version. However, most people can use the AUDIT to evaluate themselves or a loved one. Though the test is brief, it has a terrific rate of success both when self-administered and when used by a third party to answer questions about the addict or alcoholic.

• Please read the following 11 yes or no questions carefully and answer as honestly as you can.
• The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and AlcoholScreening.org offer more comprehensive self-tests.
• If you answered yes to six or more questions, you may have a severe alcohol use disorder.
• Calls to our general hotline may be answered by California Rehab Campus, Day Light Recovery Florida, Banyan Treatment Center, US Addiction Services, Recovery Helpline, or other treatment providers.