Understanding your alcohol and drug use

Published: 30 November 2023
Last updated: 11 December 2023
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Wondering if your drinking and drug use has become a problem?
Here’s some tools to help you.

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Concerned you’ve been over-indulging with drugs and alcohol?

If you want to know more about your alcohol and/or drug intake, you can use this page to take a ‘What’s your alcohol score?’ Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and ‘What’s your drug score?’ drug intake test.

Understanding your drinking

Many people don’t always know how much alcohol they drink and whether their drinking could have any impact on their health. Our alcohol self-assessment can help you identify if the amount you drink could be putting your health at serious risk.

We use a tool developed by the World Health Organisation, called ‘AUDIT’, that is used internationally by medical professionals to check for alcohol harm, including dependence. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a 10-item screening tool to assess alcohol consumption, drinking behaviors, and alcohol-related problems. Whatever your score is, if you feel that you want to discuss your alcohol use with someone then give us a call.

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what is an alcoholic unit?

Units are a simple way of calculating the alcohol content in a drink. With different drinks, measures and glass sizes it can be difficult to keep track of the alcohol content you’re consuming. Units are a simple way of expressing the quantity of pure alcohol in a drink.

One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour. Units will typically be displayed on the side of any bottles of alcohol, although when ordering drinks in bars it can be more tricky. Government guidelines recommend that you do not drink over 14 units in a single week.

Find out your drug intake score

The questionnaire below will help you understand your drug risks.

The answer to each question comes with a corresponding score. Add up all your scores and see your risk level.

A result of 25 or above indicates possible dependence on drugs.

A score between 10-24 indicates increasing risk.

The maximum score is 44. 

If you would like to someone about your result, please call us on 0345 3 30 30 30 or email recovery@lgbt.foundation.

SCORE
QUESTIONS01234
1. How often do you use drugs other than alcohol?NeverOnce a month of less often2-4 times a month2-3 times a week4 times a week or more
2. Do you use more than one type of drug on the same occasion?NeverOnce a month of less often2-4 times a month2-3 times a week4 times a week or more
3. How many times do you take drugs on a typical day when you use drugs?01-23-45-67 or more
4. How often are you heavily influenced by drugs?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
5. Over the past year, have you felt that your longing for drugs was so strong that you could not resist it?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
6. Has it happened, over the past year that you have not been able to stop taking drugs once you started?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
7. How often over the past year have you taken drugs and then not done something you should have done?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
8. How often over the past year have you needed to take a drug the morning after heavy drug use the day before?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
9. How often over the past year have you had guilt feelings or a bad conscience because you used drugs?NeverLess often than once a monthEvery monthEvery weekDaily or almost daily
10. Have you or anyone else been mentally/physically hurt because you used drugs?NeverYes, but not over the last year Yes, in the last year
11. Has a relative or a friend, a doctor or a nurse, or anyone else, been worried about your drug use or said to you that you should stop using drugs?NeverYes, but not over the last year Yes, in the last year
TOTAL SCORE ___

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