General Alcohol Addiction Check
Below is a plain-language breakdown of how this alcohol check works, what it measures, and what each question is really asking. Start with the overview of what the check measures, then read through each question to see what it explores and why it matters.
Our General Alcohol Use Check is a self-assessment designed to help you understand your drinking patterns. It looks beyond "how much do you drink" and considers the broader context of when, why, and how alcohol fits into your life.
Consumption Frequency and Quantity. How often you drink and how much per occasion are the basic building blocks. The check helps you see whether your patterns align with moderate drinking guidelines or have shifted toward heavier use.
Behavioral Indicators. Do you drink in situations where it's risky? Have you noticed a gradual increase over time? Have you ever felt you should cut down? These behavioral patterns often reveal more than raw numbers.
Early Warning Signs. The check helps identify whether your drinking is starting to affect your health, relationships, work, or daily life. Catching these signs early can prevent more serious problems from developing.
The check takes about 1-3 minutes and is completely anonymous. No signup, no data storage, no judgment.
Drinking more than you planned on a given occasion is one of the earliest signs that alcohol is overriding your intentions. If one or two drinks routinely turns into five or six, your ability to self-regulate once you start drinking may be compromised. This question measures loss of control during drinking episodes.
Failed attempts to reduce or stop drinking are one of the strongest indicators of a problematic relationship with alcohol. If you have set limits for yourself, taken breaks, or made promises to cut back, but found yourself unable to sustain those changes, alcohol has a grip that goes beyond preference.
Needing more alcohol over time to achieve the same buzz or relaxation is the definition of tolerance. Your body adapts to regular alcohol consumption, requiring larger amounts to overcome those adaptations. This question measures whether your drinking has escalated over time.
Using alcohol to manage stress, anxiety, or difficult emotions is a common pathway into dependence. If drinking has become your primary coping mechanism for emotional discomfort, you may be using it to avoid rather than process your feelings. This question examines the emotional function alcohol serves in your life.
Post-drinking guilt or regret, whether about things you said or did, money spent, or shame about your consumption itself, is a sign that drinking is creating internal conflict. If regret regularly follows your drinking, it suggests the behavior is not aligning with your values.
This question measures the typical quantity consumed per session. Seven or more drinks in a sitting is a heavy drinking episode by any standard. The amount you habitually consume when you drink is one of the most direct markers of risk, regardless of how often you drink.
When drinking starts affecting your ability to meet obligations, it has moved from a social activity to a life-disrupting one. Missed deadlines, poor performance, or hangovers that prevent you from functioning are concrete signs that alcohol is costing you opportunities.
Blackouts, or gaps in memory during drinking episodes, are a serious neurological warning sign. They occur when alcohol disrupts the brain's ability to form new memories. If you experience blackouts, your drinking is directly affecting your brain function in a way that should not be ignored.
Hiding your drinking from partners, family, friends, or doctors is a red flag. It shows you recognize on some level that your consumption is excessive and might be seen as problematic by others. Secrecy around alcohol often accompanies feelings of shame about the behavior.
Irritability or anxiety when unable to drink is a withdrawal-like response. If being in a situation where alcohol is unavailable makes you noticeably uncomfortable, your mood has become dependent on access to drinking. This question measures the emotional reliance your body has developed.
Relationship damage from drinking is one of the most painful consequences. Arguments while intoxicated, broken promises, and loved ones expressing concern or frustration are signs that alcohol is affecting the people closest to you. This question measures whether drinking is costing you trust and connection.
Planning your day around when and where you will drink, structuring activities to accommodate or enable drinking, shows that alcohol has become a central organizing force in your life. This question measures whether drinking shapes your choices rather than simply accompanying them.
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