Alcohol Use: Self-Reflection Questions
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
In the past 12 months…
Do you often drink more alcohol, or for a longer time, than you intended?
Have you wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
Do you spend a lot of time drinking, getting alcohol, or recovering from its effects?
Do you experience strong cravings or urges to drink?
Has drinking interfered with your responsibilities (work, school, or home)?
Do you continue to drink even though it causes problems with family, friends, or others?
Have you given up or reduced activities you used to enjoy because of drinking?
Do you drink in situations where it could be dangerous (like driving or using machinery)?
Do you keep drinking even though you know it’s causing or worsening a physical or mental health problem?
Have you found that you need to drink more to feel the same effect, or that alcohol has less effect than it used to? (tolerance)
Do you experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking (like shakiness, sweating, nausea, anxiety), or drink to avoid these symptoms?
How to Understand Your Results:
2–3 “Yes” answers: Mild — Some signs of concern
4–5 “Yes” answers: Moderate — Increasing impact
6+ “Yes” answers: Severe — Significant impact
If your responses raised any concerns, it doesn’t mean you need to have all the answers right away—it’s simply a starting point. You might consider making a small change, like cutting back or taking a break from alcohol for a period of time to see how your body and mood respond. Talking with someone you trust, such as a friend, therapist, or counselor, can also help you process what you’re noticing. If you’re looking for more guidance, a healthcare provider can walk you through treatment options, and peer support groups or local meetings (AA, SMART) can offer connection and encouragement. Whatever step you choose, support is available—and change is possible.
These questions are from the American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.
Other screening resources:
The NIDA-Modified Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (NM-ASSIST) is a screening tool for drug use in general medical settings. Also called NIDA Quick Screen, it is a web-based interactive tool that guides clinicians through a short series of screening questions and, based on the patient's responses, generates a substance involvement score that suggests the level of intervention needed. The tool also provides links to resources for conducting a brief intervention and treatment referral, if warranted. This screening instrument, a modified version of the World Health Organization's Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), is appropriate for patients age 18 or older. It can be completed by either a clinician or the patient using an online form or a printed version of the instrument, and is easily scored. It provides information about the substances people have ever used in their lifetime, the substances used in the last three months, problems related to substance use, risk of current or future harm, dependence, and injecting drug use.
