Most of us do
not have to think twice about this question. WE KNOW! Our whole
life and thinking was centered around our addiction in one form or
another - always scheming and plotting to find ways to feed our
addictions. We lived to use and used to live. Very simply, an
addict is a man or woman whose life is controlled by by a
substance or action. We are people in the grip of a continuing and
progressive illness whose ends are always the same: jails,
institutions, illness, poverty, and death.
Only you can decide if you have
an addiction, and whether or not a 12 step recovery program can
help you. The following questionnaire may help you make this
decision. If you answer YES to four or may questions, you may have
a problem that can be helped by the steps. See how you do.
Remember that there is no disgrace in facing up to the fact that
you have a problem!
Answer YES or
NO to the following questions.
Substitute "drinking" for your addictive behavior.
1 - Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so,
but only lasted for a couple of days?
Yes
No
2 - Do you wish people would
mind their own business about your drinking-- stop telling you
what to do?
Yes
No
3 - Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in
the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk?
Yes
No
4 - Have you had to
have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?
Yes
No
5 - Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble?
Yes
No
6 - Have you had problems connected with drinking during the
past year?
Yes
No
7 - Has your drinking caused trouble at home?
Yes
No
8 - Do you ever try to get "extra" drinks at a party
because you do not get enough?
Yes
No
9 - Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you
want to, even though you keep getting drunk when you don't mean
to?
Yes
No
10 - Have you missed days of work or school because of
drinking?
Yes
No
11 - Do you have "blackouts"?
Yes
No
12 - Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did
not drink?
Yes
No
What's your
score?
Did you answer YES four or
more times? If so, you are probably addicted. Why do we say this?
Because thousands of people in recovery have said so for many
years. They found out the truth about themselves — the hard way.
But again, only you can
decide whether you think a 12 step recovery program is for
you. Maybe a
Florida rehabilitation center would better fit you. Try to
keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, there
are many recovery organizations waiting to help you. Just call!
12 step programs do not promise to solve your life's problems.
But we can show you how we are learning to live without using
"one day at a time."
12 step programs do not promise
to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we are
learning to live without using "one day at a
time."
