Symptoms of alcoholism in women test

Identification technique

The test presented below by Golerman and Engler was developed to help a person independently determine whether he suffers from a predisposition to alcohol abuse.
Reasons for suspicion may include recent excessive alcohol consumption or a genetic predisposition. The method proposed by experts is based on the study of the psychophysiology of people who have problems in this area, as well as from conversations with their family and friends. If you feel there is cause for concern, take an alcoholism test now. Find out whether you drink in moderation or whether there is still a reason to consult a doctor. Timely measures taken will increase the chances of getting rid of a bad habit.

How to solve the problem of alcohol addiction

To diagnose the disease, it is not at all necessary to visit a specialized clinic. Knowing the symptoms of the disease, you can take a free test for alcoholism without leaving your home. But what to do if the result is positive?

Experts strongly recommend not to waste time and money on dubious methods of therapy, to self-medicate, and even more so, to give him any medications without the knowledge of the addict. The best option is to contact a narcologist as quickly as possible, including in situations where the patient refuses medical care.

CAGE questionnaire

The name of the test is an abbreviation of the letters that make up the keywords from the questions in English:

• C – cut down
• A – annoyed (irritated)
• G – guilty
• E – eye-opener (sip of alcohol)

The test was created in 1968 at North Carolina Memorial Hospital (USA) and was intended to fill the lack of screening measures in diagnosing alcoholism. Initially, 130 people were randomly selected to participate in an in-depth interview, which resulted in 4 questions to identify alcoholics. It is the oldest test for identifying alcohol dependence.

To determine whether you, your husband, or any other person suffers from alcohol addiction, you need to answer the following questions yourself, or for a suspected alcoholic:

1. Have you ever felt like you should cut down on your alcohol consumption?
2. Do you feel irritated when people criticize you for drinking?
3. Have you ever felt guilty about drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink right after waking up to feel good?

This questionnaire is a fairly accurate way to check for the presence of alcoholism, which has been carefully verified through the analysis of extensive statistics. But because the test questions are so explicit, taking the test in public can be daunting for many people. Accuracy and honesty of responses may improve if the respondent trusts the interviewer. Even more accurate results can be achieved by taking the test online or using an anonymous survey.

Alcohol Dependence Test (AUDIT)

Why should you ask yourself ten questions about drinking?

By answering the questions of the AUDIT test, you will receive a complete picture of the potential risks and dangers associated with alcoholism, or simply information so that such a dilemma does not arise in the near future. The total score shows the average level and degree of risk, in addition, the answers to individual questions give a clearer idea of ​​what you should pay attention to first when drinking alcohol.

The test questions relate to the past year of your life. Thus, the test can be used to monitor the impact of changes in alcohol consumption on the test results.

AUDIT was created in the 1980s, when the World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned a group of researchers to develop a questionnaire that would help assess the risks caused by alcohol consumption in collaboration with clinic patients. It was planned to use the test in both developed and developing countries, among representatives of different cultures. At the first stage of the project, six countries joined it: Norway, Australia, Kenya, Bulgaria, Mexico and the USA.

The purpose of the test is to separate light drinkers from those who are at increased risk of developing alcoholism, i.e. identifying those who are just beginning to have problems with drinking and then preventing those problems from getting worse. The subjects of the test are not exclusively people with alcohol dependence and alcoholics, although the maximum score on the test indicates alcoholism.

The first three questions of the AUDIT test are focused on determining the volume of alcohol consumed, the regularity of drinking alcohol and the frequency of intoxication, i.e. taking six or more doses at a time. The next three questions reveal the tendency to alcohol dependence. The remaining four questions characterize various unpleasant consequences of drinking alcohol; This includes feelings of guilt, memory lapses, accidents, and anxiety of loved ones. As you review your answers to the questions, you should note which area of ​​the above three accounts for the most points earned.

The test results are first analyzed by the total number of points, which is obtained by summing the results of the answers to the questions. The risk limit is currently considered to be eight points. Research has confirmed that this figure means that the dangers caused by drinking alcohol will increase in the near future unless people change their habits in this area. In a group discussion, test volunteers from Helsinki criticized the eight-point limit. It was said that eight points can be earned just because there was an injury while intoxicated within the last year, and the spouse noticed it. However, then one can object: what if this repeats from year to year?

The maximum score for the test is 40. The higher the test result, the more dangerous the respondent is at the stage of alcoholism. In general, it is considered that if a test-taker receives a score of 20 or more, he or she should seek help. However, it must be remembered that the AUDIT test is not a diagnostic method, i.e. only on the basis of its results one cannot conclude that the person who answered the questions is a heavy drinker or an alcoholic. Test results exceeding the critical score only indicate that something should be done about one's own drinking and, if necessary, resort to more thorough research, examination or treatment.

There are many tests to detect alcohol dependence or alcoholism. The AUDIT is the best known and most commonly used of the tests aimed at assessing the risks and difficulties associated with drinking alcohol. In addition to healthcare, they are also used in epidemiological studies that aim to assess the consumption of harmful drinks. The test is available for review and completion on many websites and in different languages. Test takers have a positive attitude towards the need to answer questions; moreover, it is noted that they mostly give honest answers.

Additional information: Department of Narcology Clinics tel. 09 6220 290 e-mail

Test questions

Whatever the result, remember - this is only an approximate orientation, a hint. An accurate diagnosis and determination of the stage of alcoholism is the work of a doctor. Answer the questions “yes” or “no” - as honestly as possible, without thinking long about the answer. You may be offered the following options:

• Stressful situations and minor troubles are a reason for you to drink;
• you drink alone from time to time;
• you usually don’t have enough alcohol on offer during the holidays;
• in a non-drinking company you feel uncomfortable and bored;
• you often become the initiator of “buying more alcohol”;
• at events you have a glass clutched in your hand throughout the evening;
• feel the urge to continue drinking at home after partying;
• you do not see anything reprehensible in the constant use of alcohol;
• It practically doesn’t matter to you what type of alcohol you drink;
• you don't calm down until you've drunk all the available alcoholic drinks.

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Biochemical markers of alcoholism

Laboratory diagnostic methods make it possible to determine the ethanol content in the blood. If ethyl alcohol is not detected in the analysis, then it is considered that the patient has not consumed alcohol during the last 6-8 hours. But if ethyl esters of fatty acids are detected in the blood, this confirms that there was alcohol intake during the day. This diagnostic method is suitable for determining the degree of intoxication, but the results cannot indicate the existence of addiction.

When alcoholism develops, changes occur in the metabolism of internal organs, biochemical reactions and enzyme activity.

After quitting alcohol, ethanol may not be detected in the blood, but laboratory tests can diagnose signs of systematic alcohol abuse.

Most often, when diagnosing alcoholism, attention is paid to liver enzymes. Ethanol increases the functional activity of hepatocytes and can cause cytolysis, cell destruction, or cholestasis. The following changes are characteristic of chronic alcohol intoxication:

• the activity of the enzymes ALT, AST and GGT was increased during the study 2-3 times within 14 days
• fluctuations in enzyme activity, which indicates dependence on alcohol intake, and not somatic pathology
• moderate increase in triglyceride levels
• with abstinence and everyday drunkenness, enzyme activity returns to normal, and with chronic addiction they are elevated for 6 months

The activity of alkaline phosphatase also increases, especially in case of alcohol poisoning due to addiction. In contrast, enzyme levels remain unchanged in viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer or metastases.

Changes can be observed in the concentration of ferritin, uric acid, ceruloplasmin and other substances, but with their help the degree of dysfunction of internal organs and the development of secondary diseases associated with alcoholism are assessed.

AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)

The Michigan State University Alcoholism Test consists of 24 yes or no questions. For each answer a certain number of points is awarded, based on the sum of which a conclusion is made about the presence of alcoholism. Unlike the previous questionnaire, it will be much more difficult to answer the MAST test questions truthfully for someone other than the suspected patient.

1. Do you think that you drink as much as others?
2. Has it ever happened that when you woke up in the morning after drinking, you couldn’t remember part of what happened yesterday?
3. Are your spouse or close relatives concerned about your drinking habits?
4. Are you able to stop drinking after 1-2 glasses of alcohol?
5. Do you ever feel embarrassed about drinking?
6. Do your relatives think that you drink no more than others?
7. Are you able to stop drinking alcohol any time you want?
8. Have you ever attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting?
9. Have you ever fought while intoxicated?
10. Have you ever had problems with your relatives because of alcohol?
11. Have your close relatives turned to anyone to help solve your problems with alcohol?
12. Have you ever lost friends because of drinking?
13. Have you ever had problems at work due to alcohol?
14. Have you ever been fired because of drunkenness?
15. Have you ever had to miss work for more than 2 days in a row because you were on a drinking binge?
16. Do you often drink alcohol in the morning?
17. Have you ever been told that you have liver problems?
18. Have you ever had auditory or visual hallucinations after drinking alcohol?
19. Have you asked anyone to help you stop drinking?
20. Have you ever been hospitalized due to drinking?
21. Have you ever been in a psychiatric or drug treatment department due to drunkenness?
22. Have you ever turned to a drug treatment center, a social worker, a psychiatrist, or a clergyman for help in solving psychological problems due to alcohol?
23. Have you ever driven a vehicle while intoxicated?
24. Have you ever been detained by law enforcement while drunk?

For answers “yes” to questions 5, 9, 16, 1 point is awarded;

For answers “yes” to questions 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 24, 2 points are awarded;

For answers “yes” to questions 8, 19, 20, 5 points are awarded;

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For answers “no” to questions 1, 4, 6, 7, 2 points are awarded. Calculate the sum of points.

The AUDIT Alcohol Dependence Test was developed by WHO for international use and has been validated in a study of patients from six countries, which showed that the test is a reliable way of identifying alcohol dependence. Another study showed that the test is more reliable in young and middle-aged people than in older people.

The test consists of 10 questions with 3 to 5 different answer options. For each answer you receive a certain number of points, the total amount of which can be used to judge whether you are addicted to alcohol or not.

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Self-diagnosis of alcohol addiction

In accordance with the criteria of modern narcology, the development of alcoholism occurs in three stages, although some doctors distinguish the so-called prodromal period, when there is no pronounced craving for alcohol, but there are certain symptoms of a slowly progressing addiction to alcohol, noticeable only to a specialist.

First stage of the disease

The initial stage of the disease is considered the safest and prognostically favorable in terms of treatment. While there is no systematic alcohol abuse yet, the risk of concomitant damage to internal organs is minimal. Liver steatosis is usually diagnosed, but in the vast majority of cases, fatty degeneration is reversible, and the liver parenchyma begins to recover within 2–3 weeks after quitting alcoholic beverages.

At the first stage of addiction, the psychological test “Am I an alcoholic” looks like this:

• The desire to drink appears in any “provoking” situation, and we are talking about both positive and stressful circumstances.
• An excuse for another binge, both to yourself and to others.
• The desire for alcohol “outweighs” possible upcoming conflicts at work and in the family.
• “Disruption” of regular get-togethers with friends causes a pronounced depressive state, which is associated not with the inability to communicate, but with the lack of an acceptable reason for drinking.
• Alcohol is consumed at least 2 times a week.
• Intoxication requires increasingly large doses of strong drinks.
• There is no protective gag reflex even with severe alcohol intoxication (except for those cases when a person suffers from chronic diseases of the digestive tract).
• It is not possible to remember individual episodes of drinking, or the memories are fragmentary, “blurry” in nature.

Other signs of the first stage of alcohol addiction are more noticeable to others. For example, when women are interested in how to determine whether a husband is an alcoholic or not, narcologists recommend paying attention to his behavior while intoxicated. The following signs should alert you:

• the desire to get drunk as quickly as possible;
• the active phase of intoxication, which is accompanied by speech and motor activity, emotional arousal, lasts from 3 to 5 hours;
• the decline in symptoms of intoxication causes an irresistible desire to drink again;
• euphoria and elation do not last long - they are soon replaced by malice, aggression, sometimes by violence, hysteria, demonstrative attempts to commit suicide are possible (but as a rule, this is nothing more than “work for the public”);
• After drinking even a sip of alcohol, a person cannot stop until he reaches the desired intoxication.

This test for alcoholism for women and men can be considered positive if the patient agrees with even 2-3 of the above statements. But many people underestimate the danger of their condition, believing that they can stop at any moment.

Indeed, the first stage of the disease lasts 4–6 years (sometimes up to 10 years). But at any moment the patient can relapse, which will provoke the rapid progression of not only alcohol addiction, but also concomitant chronic somatic pathologies.

Tests for alcoholism in the second stage of the disease

In the next phase, the symptoms of alcohol addiction are already quite pronounced, and it is simply impossible not to notice them. Drunkenness becomes systematic, withdrawal symptoms and binge drinking appear.

The main criterion for a positive test for alcoholism for men, as well as for women at this stage of the disease, are withdrawal symptoms that appear 6-8 hours after drinking. Manifestations of alcohol withdrawal gradually increase. It all starts with tremor, headache, thirst, nausea, body aches and general malaise, a strong desire to drink.

If the addict fails to get the next portion of the intoxicating drink, the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome worsen. Trembling covers the whole body, pain in muscles and joints appears, psycho-emotional disorders (depression, moodiness, anxiety) are added, and insomnia is typical.

At this stage of the disease, the test for alcohol addiction includes the following points:

• There is a desire to get over your hangover - to “improve” your well-being with a new portion of alcohol.
• There was at least one episode of multi-day drinking, including cases of drinking for “good” reasons (holidays, vacations, etc.).
• During periods of sobriety, internal nervous tension, causeless anxiety are felt, sleep disturbances, decreased performance, and intolerance to physical and mental stress are possible.
• To develop a feeling of intoxication, an amount of alcohol is required that is 5–6 times higher than the normal dose for a healthy person.
• With alcohol intoxication, euphoria and excitement are quickly replaced by severe weakness, lethargy or drowsiness (if an addict drinks outside the home, he may even fall asleep on the street).
• The social “framework” of drunkenness is lost (a person drinks alcohol in places and situations where it is unacceptable).

Test results

Count how many affirmative answers you gave, after which you can safely analyze the situation.

1. No more than 2 points. Most likely there is nothing to worry about. The only time you had too much alcohol at a party was an isolated incident. Usually you know your dose and do not exceed it; you distinguish between the concepts of “drinking to relax” and “getting drunk.”
2. From 3 to 7 points. You have a penchant for alcohol. Due to your weak will, you have recently taken to drinking. Showing up at home drunk has become a tradition. Be careful! Avoid dubious companies and learn to behave confidently without alcohol.
3. From 8 points and above. It's time to raise the alarm. There is an alcohol addiction. Alcohol has become a daily necessity for you; without it, you feel insecure and depressed, and cannot relax and have fun. The help of specialists in the field of psychiatry and narcology is recommended. If you don’t stop in time, you will face social degradation and serious health problems.

Tests for women

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecM1Rnu3mJo

The test for alcohol dependence for a woman will be identical to that for a man. Experts do not differentiate the concepts of alcoholism between the sexes, identifying the same signs and stages for both. Female alcoholism, according to the stereotype, is completely incurable. Narcologists deny this version, since the manifestations and general clinical picture are the same, regardless of gender. However, some psychological and external differences are still observed. Which ones?

1. Social. A woman who drinks even low-alcohol drinks is more strongly condemned by society, so she prefers to drink alone, secretly. Men usually need a drinking buddy.
2. Occasion. Men mostly drink to have fun, women drink because of problems in their personal lives.
3. Degree. The weaker sex is fond of alcohol with a small amount of revolutions, the stronger prefers vodka, cognac, whiskey in its pure form.
4. Rehabilitation. Manifestations of addiction and symptoms of alcoholism in a man are more noticeable; timely treatment begins increases the chance of recovery. Women, hiding their destructive passion until the last moment, get to a specialist too late. Therefore, it is very important for a woman to take a test for alcohol dependence on time.
5. Influence and effect. A man is naturally stronger, and his body contains large quantities of enzymes involved in the breakdown of alcohol. A woman gets drunk faster, and her personality degradation begins earlier and is more noticeable to others.

Alcoholism test

Alcoholism in many circles is considered exclusively a domestic problem. However, in reality this is a real mental illness. An alcoholic harms not only himself and loved ones, but even strangers who happen to be nearby. At some point, a person loses the feeling of adequate self-criticism, and he moves further and further from reality, looking for a way out at the bottom of the bottle. This test for alcoholism is designed to warn about the possible dangers of the diagnosis and determine the tendency towards it.

1. What alcohol do you prefer?

2. Has anything happened in the last year when you couldn’t bring yourself to stop drinking?

3. Among your close relatives were/are there people suffering from alcoholism?

4. Do you have moderate/severe liver, kidney, stomach, mental and/or heart problems?

5. Would you drink alcohol if it tasted and smelled much more disgusting?

6. How much do you drink most often?

7. What would make you give up all alcohol for a whole year?

8. How often do you resort to alcohol when you have troubles at work, with family, friends or in other important areas?

9. Do you often drink alcohol (in any quantity)? Any products containing alcohol are considered, including even beer and low-alcohol drinks.

10. Have you ever gone on a binge for three or more days?

11. How often has your family seen you drunk?

12. Imagine that you have been prescribed very important medications that you need to take for a month. They are not compatible with alcohol, so your doctor completely prohibits you from drinking it during this entire period. How will you accept this?

13. Have your relatives, friends, or even just acquaintances hinted to you that you abuse alcohol and need to reduce your drinking?

14. Have you ever experienced memory loss after drinking alcohol? How often?

15. Do you hide alcohol or hide the amount of money spent on it from loved ones?

16. Now, to get drunk, do you need to drink more alcohol than last year or earlier?

17. If you don't drink for several weeks, do your thoughts become increasingly fixated on the desire to drink?

18. Have you ever tried to quit drinking?

19. Select your gender and age category.

20. If you drink too much, do you experience severe nausea with cramps and/or vomiting?

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