
Do you want to know if you have a drinking problem? This DSM-5 quiz accurately reveals if you have AUD, Alcohol Use Disorder.
Signs You Have a Drinking Problem
According to the American Addiction Center, you have a drinking problem if you show up intoxicated at places, you shouldn’t react aggressively to criticism, have experienced legal troubles because of alcohol, and—more importantly—if you feel like you need to cut back on drinking.
Behavioral signs of alcohol addiction include verbal, physical, or sexual abuse of others, yo-yoing (quitting and developing drinking habits in a loop), and illegal activities such as stealing.
Standard | Men | Women |
Sign of Alcoholism | 14+ drinks per week | 7+ drinks per week |
Healthy Drinking | 7 (or less) per week | 4 (or less) per week |
How to Take an Alcohol Self-Assessment Test
NHS has a 3-question alcohol questionnaire that helps identify drinking problems. One way to see if you drink too much is by taking the same test at home. Here are the questions:
- How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
- How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
- How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
Based on the NHS questionnaire, you have a drinking problem if you drink 4 or more times per week, have more than 10 drinks in a row, and consume 6 or more drinks almost daily.
11 Symptoms of Having AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) describes drinking problems as Alcohol Use Disorder, refusing to use the outdated term “alcoholism.” According to this manual, the signs of having AUD or drinking problem are as follows:
- You usually drink more than you intended.
- You have failed to quit drinking multiple times.
- You spend a lot of time drinking—or thinking about it.
- You feel a strong, undeniable desire to drink.
- You fail to fulfill your social roles because of drinking.
- You continue drinking despite it hurting your relationships.
- You isolate yourself just to be able to drink.
- You drink before hazardous activities such as driving.
- You ignore alarming health issues.
- Your alcohol tolerance has increased.
- You experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.
Based on DSM-5’s symptoms, you have a mild drinking problem if you have 2 to 3 of the above symptoms. If you have 4 to 5 of them, however, your drinking problem is moderate. And if you have 6 or more of these symptoms, you’re addicted to alcohol.
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America’s Drinking Problem Explained
Unlike popular belief, the United States is not among the top countries with high alcoholism rates. In fact, the US is the 46th country with drinking problems among 182 nations. Only 5.48% of American guys drink too much—and less than 1.92% of American women struggle with alcohol addiction.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that drinking problems are not a big deal in the US. If you think about it, the numbers suggest that 2,4568,000 Americans drink too much alcohol—which is concerning.
Fun fact, recent studies show that 47% of Americans admit to being addicted to their phones, which is 156,040,000 people!
Take This Online Test to See If You’re an Alcoholic
Do you still ask yourself, “Am I addicted to alcohol?” If yes, take our DSM-5-inspired drinking problem quiz for an accurate assessment. We’ve analyzed all the symptoms of alcoholism to create a reliable test with a trustworthy diagnosis.
Answer the following questions about your drinking habits to see if you’re a heavy drinker or if your alcohol consumption is healthy.
How to Play?
Playing personality quizzes is straightforward: Choose the option that’s true about you—or you relate to—and select “Next.” Unlike trivia quizzes, personality tests have no right or wrong answers. But the questions are in forced-choice format. The point is to push you to choose an option that makes the most sense, not the one that’s 100% true. For the most accurate results, don’t overthink your responses. Go with options that you “feel” are the best.
Questions of the quiz
- 1Do you feel like you should cut back on your drinking?
No, I rarely drink
I don’t think so. I don’t drink that much
Maybe. I’ve been thinking about it
Yes, I think I’m drinking too much
- 2Do you often fail to control your alcohol consumption?
No, I’ve always been in charge
Not really, I think I’ve always handled that
Maybe, I think I’ve been failing at that lately
Yes, I’ve always failed to control that
- 3Have you ever failed to quit alcohol?
No, because I don’t drink
I don’t think that I have an addiction
Kind of. I failed to cut back on drinking
Yes, I’ve been unable to quit it
- 4Are you willing to drive for an hour just to get your favorite drink?
No, I’ve never done that
It depends. But I don’t think so
I’ve done that before
Yes, I do that all the time
- 5How often do you crave drinks?
Rarely or never
Occasionally
Every weekend or so
Every day
- 6Has drinking caused any work or family issues lately?
No, I’m not a drinker
Not really
Yes, but only once or twice
Yes, it has happened multiple times
- 7Would you stop drinking if it caused problems in your relationship?
Yes, I’d immediately quit drinking
I think I would
I’m not sure
No, I don’t think I’d give up on drinking
- 8Do you isolate yourself just to be able to drink?
No, I’ve never done that
I’ve done that before, but not anymore
I might do that (it depends)
Yes, I do that all the time
- 9Do you drink before driving or doing hazardous things?
No. I’ve never done that
I’m always careful not to do that
I might have done that once
Yes, I think I’ve done that a lot
- 10Would you stop drinking if you developed minor health issues?
Yes, I’d immediately quit drinking
I would probably do that
I’m not sure. I’d try, though
I don’t think I’d quit
- 11Do you feel like your tolerance to alcohol has increased?
No, I get drunk easily
I don’t think so, but I’m not sure
Yes, it has increased slightly
Yes, it has increased a lot
- 12How do you feel when you stop drinking for a while?
Fine
Bored
Anxious
Confused and depressed
- 13How much money do you spend on alcoholic beverages?
$50 or less (per month)
About $100 (per month)
About $100 (per week)
About $50 (per day)
- 14How often do you show up drunk at a place where no one notices?
I’ve never done that
That would be rare
I’ve done that before (but not often)
Quite often
- 15How many drinks do you have per day?
0-1
2-3
4-6
7+
- 16How many shots does it take to get you drunk?
0-1
2-3
4-6
7+
- 17When are you most likely to drink?
Special occasions
Weekends
Before going to bed
All day long
- 18Do you feel like you’ve been more aggressive lately?
No, I’ve never been aggressive
Just a little bit
People have told me that I’ve been
Yes, I’ve been very aggressive and edgy
- 19Have you gotten into legal problems because of drinking?
No. Never
It happened once (a long time ago)
Kind of, yes
Yes, I’m still struggling with that
- 20Final question: how do you react when someone says you might have a drinking problem?
No one has ever told me that
I’d be surprised
I’d be disappointed
I’d be mad