We use the CAGE questions in the UK as a quick screening tool.
Have you ever felt the need to Cut down on your alcohol intake?
Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
Have you ever needed an Eye opener (drink first thing in the morning)?
Yes to two or more indicates problem drinking and probably alcoholism.
Other factors are drinking every day, drinking more than a few units in one go regularly, drinking to black out drunk, causing damage to yourself or others.
Interesting, but I wonder how accurate that is, taking myself as an example. I know that I don’t have a drinking problem (as in, I don’t feel a need to drink alcohol and sometimes go weeks or months at a time without alcohol simply because the opportunity doesn’t present itself, and can control and have controlled my alcohol intake when necessary without any issues), but points 2 and 3 have definitely applied to me, and 1 possibly as well. The problem wasn’t my drinking, but that an abusive person needed something to criticize and degrade me, and that was a perfect opportunity. If I had stopped drinking that person would have found something else (and they did when I drank less due to covid).
We use the CAGE questions in the UK as a quick screening tool.
Have you ever felt the need to Cut down on your alcohol intake? Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking? Have you ever needed an Eye opener (drink first thing in the morning)?
Yes to two or more indicates problem drinking and probably alcoholism.
Other factors are drinking every day, drinking more than a few units in one go regularly, drinking to black out drunk, causing damage to yourself or others.
Interesting, but I wonder how accurate that is, taking myself as an example. I know that I don’t have a drinking problem (as in, I don’t feel a need to drink alcohol and sometimes go weeks or months at a time without alcohol simply because the opportunity doesn’t present itself, and can control and have controlled my alcohol intake when necessary without any issues), but points 2 and 3 have definitely applied to me, and 1 possibly as well. The problem wasn’t my drinking, but that an abusive person needed something to criticize and degrade me, and that was a perfect opportunity. If I had stopped drinking that person would have found something else (and they did when I drank less due to covid).