On this page, you will find a series of questions to help you determine if you or someone you know has a chemical dependency, as well as links to other sites that offer similar services and information on addictions.

The following questions, put together by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, are designed to help people decide whether or not they have a drinking problem.

1)  Do you occasionally drink heavily after a disappointment, a quarrel, or when the boss gives you a hard time?

2)  When you have trouble or feel under pressure, do you always drink more heavily than usual?

3)  Have you noticed that you are able to handle more liquor than you did when you were first drinking?

4)  Did you ever wake up on the morning after and discover that you could not remember part of the evening before, even though your friends tell you that you did not pass out?

5)  When drinking with other people, do you try to have a few extra drinks when others will not know it?

6)  Are there certain occasions when you feel uncomfortable if alcohol is not available?

7)  Have you recently noticed that when you begin drinking you are in more of a hurry to get the first drink than you used to be?

8)  Do you sometimes feel a little guilty about your drinking?

9)  Are you secretly irritated when your family or friends discuss your drinking?

10)  Have you recently noticed an increase in the frequency of your memory “blackouts”?

11)  Do you often find that you wish to continue drinking after your friends say they have had enough?

12)  Do you usually have a reason for the occasions when you drink heavily?

13)  When you are sober, do you often regret things you have done or said while drinking?

14)  Have you tried switching brands or following different plans for controlling your drinking?

15)  Have you often failed to keep the promises you have made to yourself about controlling or cutting down on your drinking?

16)  Have you ever tried to control your drinking by making a change of jobs, or moving to a new location?

17)  Do you try to avoid family or close friends while you are drinking?

18)  Are you having an increasing number of financial and work problems?

19)  Do more people seem to be treating you unfairly without good reason?

20)  Do you eat very little or irregularly when you are drinking?

21)  Do you sometimes have the shakes in the morning and find that it helps to have a little drink?

22)  Have you recently noticed that you cannot drink as much as you once did?

23)  Do you sometimes stay drunk for several days at a time?

24)  Do you sometimes feel very depressed and wonder if life is worth living?

25)  Sometime after periods of drinking, do you see or hear things that aren’t there?

26)  Do you get terribly frightened after you have been drinking heavily?

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence suggests that if you answer yes to any of the above questions, you have symptoms that may indicate alcoholism. People who answer yes to questions 1 through 8 are said to be in the early stages of alcoholism, which typically last from ten to fifteen years. Yes answers to questions 9 through 21 indicate middle-stage alcoholism, which usually lasts from two to five years. Questions 22 through 26 indicate the beginning of the final stage.  In its last stage, alcoholism can kill: heavy and chronic drinking can harm virtually every organ and system in the body. It is the single most important cause of illness and death from liver disease in the U.S.; it can increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and such infectious diseases as pneumonia and tuberculosis; it can also alter brain-cell function, shrink the cerebral cortex, throw the body’s hormonal system out of balance, and lead to sexual dysfunction and infertility.

The following Internet links are provided to offer assistance and resources regarding illnesses with which the LJAP deals. This should in no way be construed as endorsing any of the services or products that may be offered at the site. Due to the nature of the Internet, some of the sites may change information without our knowledge. Information on this Web site is updated quarterly, however, should you find something of concern please don’t hesitate to notify bdaugherty@msbar.org.

Visiting a site is not treating the problem, only providing information. Should you be concerned about their problem or the problem of another, please contact the LJAP for further assistance. You may call anonymously. All calls to the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program are confidential. 1-800-593-9777.

Confidentiality Statement
All inquiries are strictly confidential and are responded to by the Director or volunteer contacted.  The identity of any lawyer, judge or family member who requests assistance through the program for themselves or others is kept strictly confidential.