Alcoholism - Highlights

Highlights

Do You Have a Drinking Problem?

You may be experiencing symptoms of alcohol abuse (problem drinking) or alcohol dependence (alcoholism) if you:

• Have little or no control over the amount you drink, when you drink, or how often you drink.
• Tried to limit or stop your drinking but found you couldn’t.
• Had withdrawal symptoms when you tried to stop drinking. (These symptoms include tremors, anxiety, irritability, racing heart, nausea, sweating, trouble sleeping, and seizures.)
• Have had one or more occasion when you put yourself in a dangerous situation (such as driving, swimming, and unsafe sex) while drinking.
• Have become tolerant to the effects of drinking and require more alcohol to become intoxicated.
• Have continued to drink despite having memory blackouts after drinking or having frequent hangovers that cause you to miss work and other normal activities.
• Have continued to drink despite having a medical condition that you know is worsened by alcohol consumption.
• Have continued to drink despite knowing it is causing problems at home, school, or work.
• Drink alone or start your drinking early in the day.

---

---

Screening Tests

There are many screening tests that doctors use to check for alcohol use disorders. Some of these tests you can take on your own. The CAGE test is an acronym for the following questions. It asks:

• Have you ever felt you should CUT (C) down on your drinking?
• Have people ANNOYED (A) you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or GUILTY (G) about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning, to steady your nerves, or to get rid of a hangover [use of alcohol as an EYE-OPENER (E) in the morning].
• If you responded “yes” to at least two of these questions, you may be at risk for alcoholism.

Review Date: 01/13/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).