Am I addicted? | take the self-assessment test

At the heart of addiction is a loss of control. You use more, or more often, than you meant to, and you find you cannot cut down or stop. You carry on even though you can see it is harming your health, your work or your relationships. What matters most is how free you still are in that choice, more than how much you use.

Clinicians work with an internationally recognised list of 11 criteria. If you recognise 2 or 3 of them, that points to a mild addiction; 4 or 5 suggest a moderate addiction, and 6 or more a severe one. In everyday life, signs like these can tell you that addiction is taking hold.

• you often think about the next time you will drink, use or gamble
• you have tried to stop before, but it did not work or only lasted a short while
• you need more and more to get the same effect
• you get withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, sweating or poor sleep when you go without for a while
• appointments, work or studies start to slip
• you keep quiet about how much or how often you use
• you need the substance or behaviour to relax, get to sleep or feel good

Addiction to substances and behaviour

The more of these signs you recognise, the more likely it is that your use has taken control of you. That applies to alcohol, drugs and medication, but also to behaviour. A behavioural addiction revolves around something you do, such as gambling, gaming or watching porn. Your brain responds to it in much the same way as it does to a substance. The behaviour gives you a reward, and you need more and more of it to feel the same.

Our addiction tests set out the signs for you one by one. You answer questions about how often you use, what it costs you and what happens when you go without for a while. That way, you can see in black and white where you stand. The self-assessment tests are anonymous and take just a few minutes.

We are here to talk

A test cannot give you a diagnosis, but it can give you an idea of your risk of addiction if you carry on with your use or behaviour. Would you like us to look at your situation and what could work for you? You can call us on 040-303 5023 or fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page. We will then arrange an addiction assessment. In that conversation, we get to know you better and look at whatever else is going on in your life, such as stress, low mood or underlying problems.

Perhaps you keep going back and forth: is your use getting out of hand, or is it really not that bad? That doubt is often part of the addiction itself, because the urge to keep using makes it easy to play down the problem. We have self-assessment tests for alcohol, drugs, cannabis, cocaine, ketamine and gambling. If you are in doubt and want a quick, anonymous answer, you can test your use and get in touch if you have any questions afterwards. If you use more than one substance, you can take more than one test.

Are you asking yourself whether you are addicted to prescription drugs, such as sleeping pills, sedatives or opioid painkillers? The signs listed above apply to medication too. You can also call us on 040-303 5023 to talk it through.

Your risk of addiction depends on a combination of factors, many of which you can influence only partly, if at all. Think of your genes, the environment you grew up in and live in now, what you have been through and how mentally resilient you are. These are just a few of the factors that together determine how vulnerable you are to addiction.

From habit to dependence

For you, it may have started as a habit: a way to unwind and clear your head, to sleep better or simply to be in the moment. Or it may have started as something fun, such as a festival, a night at the pub or an evening at the casino with friends. Over time, a habit like that can become ingrained, and gradually you use more, and more often. Sometimes that takes years. Your use can also rise sharply almost overnight, for example after losing someone close to you, losing your job or another major life event.

Once your use or behaviour becomes more regular, you can keep telling yourself for a long time that you have a good reason.

What you tell yourself to put off stopping

• ‘I’m still functioning.’ – You can keep your work and family life going for a long time while your use increases. However, a high-functioning addiction is still an addiction.
• ‘Other people use more than I do.’ – There is always someone who uses more, or who has bigger problems because of it. That is how your own limit shifts without you noticing.
• ‘It helps with the stress.’ – Alcohol and drugs dampen tension, anxiety and problems for a while, but they do not take away the cause. Your symptoms come back, often worse than before, and if you then use more or more often, you may end up in a downward spiral.
• ‘I can stop whenever I want.’ – This is a common argument, and the only way to know whether it is true is to try.

Admitting that you have lost control can feel like failing. Yet addiction has little to do with character; it has much more to do with the factors described above.

If you can say to yourself ‘I am addicted’, you can act on that insight straight away. In practice, it is rarely that black and white. Admitting to yourself that you no longer have your use or behaviour under control is often incredibly hard. It is also the first and most important step in your recovery, because once you admit there is a problem, you can start looking for a solution. 

You do not have to do that alone. You can call us on 040-303 5023. Our team of healthcare professionals at Connection SGGZ, including several peer recovery mentors, is ready to help. Together, we can look for addiction treatment that fits your situation.

Whether you are asking yourself ‘Am I addicted?’, are worried about someone close to you or simply want to talk about your use, we are here for you.