Addiction Spectrum

Dr. Paul Thomas is the author of one of the (ten) books I’m in the middle of, The Addiction Spectrum. Are you worried you might be an addict? To screens? To alcohol? To opiates? Let’s assess shall we?

Check all the boxes that apply to you:

Yes_ I frequently feel irritable. I remember giving my boyfriend a lot of credit because I was very cranky before alcohol in my system. That’s probably why he wasn’t hesitant to give it to me.

Yes__ I’m tired all the time.

___Yes___ I have sleep problems

___Yes___ I have anxiety/ depression (Oh did I!)]

___No____ I suffer from ADD/ ADHD. I have many friends who have it but thankfully I’ve never struggled with it myself

___Yes___ My brain often feels foggy; I have trouble thinking

___Yes___ I feel lonely alot. I drank so I wouldn’t feel lonely. When I drank  I felt like everyone loved me even if they were sending out very different vibes. 

___No___ I’ve lost interest in activities I used to enjoy. For some reason, I still enjoyed writing, schoolwork, sports, and clubs. I really enjoyed crafting and making projects for my friends.

____No____ I have difficulty starting new projects. On winter break I made homemade journals for my four closest friends. That’s right. Each month was a page and it was decorated with questions and stickers and pictures. It could have been a professional project. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that good but the effort was apparent. 

___Yes___ I am drinking or using drugs more than once a week. I tried to drink basically anytime it wasn’t a school night and sometimes I did anyway. During intercession, I drank every time to be woken by the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal: the tremors, the sweats, the vomit. Several times I lied to  my mom saying it must be my period. She would bring me tea and toast in bed. I felt so guilty. But not enough to stop. 

Give yourself one point for each box. Total points: 6_

___Yes___ I crave my behavior or substance of choice. I mean I don’t anymore.But back in the day it was like a countdown until I could finally get my hands on something alcoholic. 

___Yes___ I drink or use to relax, to sleep, or to perform. I drank to feel that warm and happy feeling. I drank to feel loved. 

____Yes___ I drink or use when I tell myself I won’t. I don’t think I’ve shared this before but my then boyfriend challenged me to go two weeks without drinking. He didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t want to do it but I knew I could. However, the first night after making that promise I broke it at work party. I got drunk and my superior (a very attractive woman) gave me a lap dance. He was very angry with me after that. I went the two weeks with alcohol, made three because I had to be on antibiotics at the end. 

____Yes___ I feel remorse about drinking or using. Especially when I puked and needed people to take care of me. There was that time they settled me on the couch and I knew I had to throw up. I couldn’t walk. I called out but no one answered so I tried crawling to the back porch but threw up in the kitchen. That was my boyfriend’s best friend house. Yeah, he didn’t like me.

___Yes___ I lie to my family or my friends about how much I drink or use. Once I left for college there was only one friend who called me out on my drinking, who saw it as a problem. It was Derrick, my best friend. I downplayed my drinking because I know he had told his family (who later became like my second family) and I knew they were all concerned.

___Yes___ I am increasingly drinking/using more to get the desired effect. My therapist gave me a two drink limit which I think she took to mean but two beers went by so fast. Then I started drinking White Russians and rum and cokes with more rum than coke and not counting shots.Then I just ignored what the limit was and ingested as much as I could before throwing up or blacking out. Another gross party trick was making myself throw up so I could drink more.

Give yourself two points for each checked box: 12

____Yes___ I’ve blacked out as a result of my drinking or using. I have blacked out a lot when drunk but luckily I was always in a place where my friends could make sure nothing bad happened to me. Yes, I know if you are drunk it is not consent. I have hooked up with men when I was drunk. I don’t blame them because they were drunk too so really we are both at fault. 

___Yes_ I experienced withdrawal symptoms (Irritability, depression, despair) when I don’t drink or use. During intercession I was so hard to be around until I got my alcohol. Alcohol meant more to me than even our relationships. 

___No__I drink or use more than most people and at times when others don’t. The first part may be true but when I went to college parties I wasn’t necessarily drinking more than anyone else. I also don’t drink if no one else is (besides my poor ex boyfriend at times).

___No___ I tried to stop or cut back but I can’t. Clearly I can if I’ve been sober almost 9 years

____No___ I’ve driven a car under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the last month. Try never

____No_ I’ve lost a job or relationship over drinking or using in the past year

____No___I’ve been cited for drinking under the influence once

Give yourself 5 points for each checked box: 10

___No____ I’ve been cited for driving under the influence two or more times. I have been in cars where the driver has been under the influence I was seventeen. Some thirty something year old was feeling me up in t he back seat.

____No___ I’ve been in a treatment program for my addiction in the past year. When I first gave up alcohol I was in a substance abuse focused therapy program. It wasn’t AA but it had similar principles.

___No___ ‘i’ve been hospitalized for my addiction in the past year. Back when I was drinking I was hospitalized several days for internal bleeding. I had been vomiting so much so casually I had tore a hole in my esophagus. It was extremely painful and scary.

___Yes___ I know I’m addicted. I have heard in AA that once you’re an addict, you’re always an addict. I take sips of my boyfriends drinks occasionally just to taste them but I never swallow champagne at a wedding or New Year’s. I never split a beer. At one point the thought of not drinking ever again felt devastating and kind of like there was nothing to look forward to. But then I discovered so many wonderful things I had been over looking. I haven’t thrown up at a party since (knock on wood).

Give yourself ten points for each checked box: 10

More Than 20: Cause for Concern

I  highly recommend you get this book and take this quiz yourself.