February 2006
If you’ve found yourself wondering whether you might have a drinking problem, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Does someone who cares about me think I’m drinking too much?
2) Has the amount I drink per sitting or per week increased significantly over time?
3) Have I become tolerant to the effects of alcohol, so that I no longer feel the effects of one or two drinks? Can I “hold” my liquor?
4) Am I trying to cut down on my drinking, without success? Do I promise to lay off alcohol the next day or next week, only to find that I don’t follow through?
5) Do I find myself thinking about my first drink of the day, hours before I’m comfortable drinking?
6) Has my drinking affected my children adversely? Has my child had an accident or injury when I had consumed one drink too many?
7) Have I ever driven my children when I wasn’t in a condition to drive, due to alcohol?
8) Do I avoid socializing or become irritated at events where I cannot drink?
9) Do I have a reliable “off switch” for alcohol, or do I sometimes find that once I get started, I can’t quit drinking?
10) Has my drinking ever gotten me into trouble?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any one of these questions, you may have a problem drinking. Talk to your doctor honestly about your drinking, set up an appointment with an alcohol counselor or treatment facility, click the tab “Is AA for you?” at www.aa.org, or take a screening test at alcoholscreening.org
Implied in this questions are things that don’t determine whether a mother has a problem drinking: Do I only drink wine? Do I love my children? Am I a good person? Do I drink every day? Alcohol abuse and dependency are diseases which affect the full spectrum of society, including loving moms.
Copyright Valerie Davis Raskin, 2006
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