I remember clearly the first time I saw A.A’s. 20 Questions. It was 16 years before I landed in A.A.
Late one night, in a tiny little town called ‘Cave Junction, Oregon’ — for some reason, probably because I was intoxicated, I was alone in a coin-operated laundry. It must have been around two or three o’clock in the morning. I wasn’t doing laundry. Perhaps I was just waiting for the spinning to stop! (Yes. I sure could have used some drying out!). I might have wrecked my car. I don’t remember.
I got up out of my seat to look at one of the dryers and when I returned to my seat I noticed that there was a yellow card with the A.A. 20 Questions. Someone hypocrite must have snuck in and placed the card in my seat! 🙂
After reading the A.A. 20 Questions. I though it was from some nitwit, nut or outfit that wants to do away with alcohol and drinking! . “Heck! This would mean that everyone in the world is alcoholic!” It must have been a conspiracy, right? Besides — only a lunatic would be out at 3 am, putting little cards like this on seats at a coin-operated laundry!
The next morning, while drinking a bottle of wine for breakfast and reading a local news rag – I saw on the front page, a photo of Bill Wilson, with the headline “Bill W. Co-Founder of A.A. Dead”. My thoughts were indignation – that a newspaper had him on the front page – when the guy wanted to be anonymous!
Before I read the article, I thought that AA was a private membership club or tavern where important people, like judges and celebrities went to drink in private. After all, at eight years old in the third grade I had to stand in front of the class and read an article from a newspaper – it was called ‘Current Events’. I chose to read a clipping out of the Announcements section, that simply read ‘Alcoholics Anonymous meets on Wednesdays at an address on Maple Street, in Glendale, California. Yes. I got strange looks from my teacher. Coincidences or Synergy? Patterns? Perhaps God really does try to direct us to places we need to be, aye?
20 Question Test — Are you alcoholic?
Is it alcohol abuse? Or, just hard drinking? A problem drinker or an alcoholic? Is it alcohol addiction? Is it alcoholism? Are you alcoholic?
Take this 20 Question test to help you decide whether you are an alcoholic. Then, you can decide — if you want to do something about it.
The 20 Questions — Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism?
Take this 20 question test to help you decide whether or not you are an alcoholic.
Answer YES or NO to the following questions.
- 1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
YES __ NO __
- 3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
YES __ NO __
- 4. Is your drinking affecting your reputation?
YES __ NO __
- 5. Have you ever felt guilt or remorse after drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 6. Have you ever got into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
YES __ NO __
- 9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time?
YES __ NO __
- 11. Do you want a drink the next morning?
YES __ NO __
- 12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
YES __ NO __
- 13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?
YES __ NO __
- 15. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
YES __ NO __
- 16. Do you drink alone?
YES __ NO __
- 17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?
YES __ NO __
- 19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
YES __ NO __
- 20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution because of drinking?
YES __ NO __
What’s your score?
If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning that you MAY be an alcoholic.
If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you ARE an alcoholic.
If you answered YES to three or more, you are definitely alcoholic.
(It has been said that these test questions were once used at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, MD, in deciding whether or not a patient is an alcoholic. So I guess it wasn’t made up by some guy’s wife, aye?).
Below is a PDF file of the 20 Questions Test, if you’d like to pass on a copy.