Are You An Alcoholic?
It is not easy to tell whether or not a person is alcohol dependent. Though alcoholics may exhibit certain symptoms, it is not always possible to detect them. In many cases, it is often difficult to tell if a person has an alcoholic condition or if he just drinks alcohol a lot of times. To assist in screening for alcoholism, certain tools like an alcoholism test may be used.
An alcoholism test provides an objective evaluation or measure of the harm that alcohol may have caused. Most of these tests come in questionnaire form and list questions that may be used as guides to determine if a test taker has an alcoholic condition or not. The score obtained through the test determines how severely the person uses alcohol.
The CAGE questionnaire, an alcoholism test made up of four questions, can be quickly used to determine alcoholism in patients. If the respondent answers in affirmative for any two questions in this test, he or she would have to undergo further tests. The following are the four questions asked in this questionnaire:
1. Did you ever feel the need to lessen your drinking? 2. Have people annoyed you by disapproving of your drinking? 3. Did you ever feel guilty of drinking? 4. Did you ever feel the need to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover? The CAGE questionnaire has been approved and considered effective in determining alcoholism however; it cannot be used to diagnose substance use disorders. The Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire, another alcoholism test, is considered to be a more effective test than the CAGE test. With the help of this tool, it is easier to determine if a respondent is just a heavy alcohol user or an alcohol dependent. The World Health Organization also developed its own screening means for alcoholism and named it the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). This alcoholism test has been used in six countries. The Paddington Alcohol Test (PAT), on the other hand, is used to evaluate alcohol related problems amongst those who are in Accident and Emergency departments. The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is another alcoholism test that is used in courts to determine how long they will sentence people who have been found guilty in crimes that are alcohol-related. Alcoholism test had also been conducted to determine if the genes of a person makes him predisposed to alcoholism. Blood tests are also used to determine alcoholism because the blood alcohol content or BAC of a person can have traces of excessive alcohol use. Urine tests are likewise conducted for the same purpose. A respondent who suspects that he or she may be suffering from alcohol addiction can choose from any alcoholism test discussed previously. However, for these tests to be effective, the respondent would have to be honest in answering them. Likewise, he or she would have to be factual in answering specific questions that have something to do with the tests.
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