FREE Download - Jan Johnson

so used to chaos from their upbringing that they constantly stir things up. I thought about
how true that was for me. I like to shock people, to make things seem worse than they
are. If I'm getting along okay with a boyfriend, I start a fight just to get a little drama
going. It's as if I'm an excitement junkie.
As they talked, I wanted to melt into my chair. Never had anyone diagnosed my
problem so clearly. I felt as if a huge spotlight were shining on me. Could this be why I
had so many relationship problems?
I made an excuse to leave. My mind raced. I was sure my dad wasn't an alcoholic.
He drank beer, but never drank hard liquor. He hung out in bars, but he was a brilliant
man and had held several high paying positions. Of course, he was fired from his last job
for losing his temper too many times.
Later that day, I told my friends I would go with them to their meeting "only so I
wouldn't be so bored when they talked about it." There I read a pamphlet with a quiz
from Johns Hopkins University that helps alcoholics identify themselves. [The quiz is
called, "Are You An Alcoholic?" and is printed at the end of the chapter.] I answered
the twenty questions from my dad's point of view. He scored a "9," well beyond the
count of those who "definitely have a problem with alcohol."
I remembered more about his drinking. I had seldom seen him drunk, but he talked
about drinking all the time. We couldn't go anywhere that he didn't drink or get antsy for
a drink. We used to carry beer in the trunk of our car all the time. I'm shocked to think
that he could be an alcoholic -- I thought that people dressed in business suits were OK.
The questionnaire that Gretchen used reads this way:
ARE YOU AN ALCOHOLIC? YES NO
1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking? ____ ____
2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy? ____ ____
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people? ____ ____
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation? ____ ____
5. Have you ever felt remorse for drinking? ____ ____
6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking? ____ ____
7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when
drinking?
____ ____
8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare? ____ ____
9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking? ____ ____
10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily? ____ ____
11. Do you want a drink the next morning? ____ ____
12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty sleeping? ____ ____
13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking? ____ ____
14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job? ____ ____
15. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble? ____ ____
16. Do you drink alone? ____ ____
17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking? ____ ____