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Am I an alcoholic? – Self Test

Nov 17, 2016 ahanacare

“Hi, I am a business analyst from India, handling onsite projects in US. Business analyst analyses business problem, they have hectic work schedules and poor work-life balance, and well that applies to me as well. I consume alcohol thrice a week, majorly to alleviate my work pressure. Am I an alcoholic?”
This was the recent query posted in a popular social networking site. It doesn’t matters how much people consume alcohol, rather what matters is how they think/feel about their drinking habits. People say they are not drug addicts, but occasional consumers of alcohol. But to tell them, alcohol itself is a drug which damages the liver. That is something to be worried about. People (those who are alcoholic) usually start their journey toward alcoholism during college, as fun time, which later changes to leisure time,finally leading to alcohol dependence.

Major challenges in life such as unemployment, breakup, divorce, bereavement, etc., causes stress, though seeking psychological assistance would be an ideal solution. We sometimes consider these challenges as reasons to consume alcohol. Surprisingly if one escapes from all these ‘reasons to drink’, “peer groups” would engage, motivate them towards drinking. One who develops the habit of drinking, are likely to smoke and a few use tobacco and/or tobacco products.
To know whether you’re on use level, abuse level or dependence level, your answer to the following questions will reveal the true side.
Psychologist call this as CAGE test.

  1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? (yes/no)
  2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? (yes/no)
  3. Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking? (yes/no)
  4. Have you ever had a drink first thing on the morning (Eye opener)? (yes/no)

Is you have answered yes to all these questions? You’re an alcoholic. But no worries. There’s a way out.