Answer Yes/No/Sometimes to the following questions:

1. Do you drink when you feel depressed, hoping that it will make you feel better?
2. Do you regularly use alcohol as medicine --to relieve menstrual cramps, help you sleep, or calm your nerves?
3. Do you talk a lot about drinking?
4. Do you feel sociable only when you drink?
5. Do you drink when you are under pressure or after an argument?
6. Do you try to get someone to buy liquor for you because you are too ashamed to buy it yourself?
7. Do you hide the empty bottles and dispose of them secretly?
8. Do you buy liquor at different places so no one will know how much you purchase?
9. Do you plan in advance to reward yourself with several drinks after you've worked hard in the house or on the job?
10. Do you have blackouts--periods about which you remember nothing?
11. Do you ever wonder if anyone knows how much you drink?
12. Do you ever carry liquor in your purse?
13. Do you worry about hurting your child when you have been drinking?
14. Do you drink to make your husband or domestic partner less angry at you?
15. If you drink only occasionally, do you have a lot of drinks at one time?
16. Do you drink more when you have been emotionally or physically abused?
17. Do you feel panicky when faced with non-drinking days or when you are without money to buy alcohol?
18. Do you become defensive when anyone mentions your drinking?
19. Do you try to cover up when you can't remember promises and feel ashamed when you misplace or lose things?
20. Do you drive your car or operate machinery after you've been drinking?
21. Do you take sleeping pills or tranquilizers together with alcohol?
22. Do you use alcohol to have or to avoid sexual activity?
23. Do you think that drinks at home are OK but drinks in a bar are not?
24. Have you fallen down or hurt yourself as a result of drinking?
25. Are you absent or late for work more often after you drink?
26. Do you suffer from indigestion, nausea, or diarrhea due to drinking?

If you have answered yes or sometimes to five or more of these questions, you may be developing an alcohol problem, but a yes to even fewer than five may indicate a problem. Talk with a professional in the alcohol and other drug field, or consult with a physician who specializes in treating alcohol and other drug problems. For referral to local services, contact the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council of Ocean, Inc. (ADACO) at 732-367-5515.

Source: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

LBI FYI