1
- Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but only
lasted for a couple of days?
Most of us in A.A. made all kinds of promises to ourselves and to our
families. We could not keep them. Then we came to A.A. A.A. said: "Just
try not to drink today." (If you do not drink today, you cannot
get drunk today.)
Yes
No
2 - Do you
wish people would mind their own business about your drinking-- stop
telling you what to do?
In A.A. we do not tell anyone to do anything. We just talk
about our own drinking, the trouble we got into, and how we stopped.
We will be glad to help you, if you want us to.
Yes
No
3 - Have you
ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this
would keep you from getting drunk?
We tried all kinds of ways. We made our drinks weak. Or just drank
beer. Or we did not drink cocktails. Or only drank on weekends. You
name it, we tried it. But if we drank anything with alcohol
in it, we usually got drunk eventually.
Yes
No
4 - Have you
had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?
Do you need a drink to get started, or to stop shaking? This is a
pretty sure sign that you are not drinking "socially."
Yes
No
5 - Do you
envy people who can drink without getting into trouble?
At one time or another, most of us have wondered why we were not like
most people, who really can take it or leave it.
Yes
No
6 - Have you
had problems connected with drinking during the past year?
Be honest! Doctors say that if you have a problem with alcohol and
keep on drinking, it will get worse -- never better. Eventually, you
will die, or end up in an institution for the rest of your life. The
only hope is to stop drinking.
Yes
No
7 - Has your
drinking caused trouble at home?
Before we came into A.A., most of us said that it was the people or
problems at home that made us drink. We could not see that our drinking
just made everything worse. It never solved problems anywhere or anytime.
Yes
No
8 - Do you
ever try to get "extra" drinks at a party because you do not get enough?
Most of us used to have a "few" before we started out if we thought
it was going to be that kind of party. And if drinks were not served
fast enough, we would go some place else to get more.
Yes
No
9 - Do you
tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, even though
you keep getting drunk when you don't mean to?
Many of us kidded ourselves into thinking that we drank because we
wanted to. After we came into A.A., we found out that once we started
to drink, we couldn't stop.
Yes
No
10 - Have you
missed days of work or school because of drinking?
Many of us admit now that we "called in sick" lots of times when the
truth was that we were hung-over or on a drunk.
Yes
No
11 - Do you
have "blackouts"?
A "blackout" is when we have been drinking hours or days which we
cannot remember. When we came to A.A., we found out that this is a
pretty sure sign of alcoholic drinking.
Yes
No
12 - Have you
ever felt that your life would be better if you did not drink?
Many of us started to drink because drinking made life seem better,
at least for a while. By the time we got into A.A., we felt trapped.
We were drinking to live and living to drink. We were sick and tired
of being sick and tired.
Yes
No
What's your
score?
Did you answer
YES four or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble
with alcohol. Why do we say this? Because thousands of people in A.A.
have said so for many years. They found out the truth about themselves
— the hard way.
But again, only
you can decide whether you think A.A. is for you. Try to keep
an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, we will be glad
to show you how we stopped drinking ourselves. Just call.
A.A. does not
promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we
are learning to live without drinking "one day at a time." We stay
away from that "first drink." If there is no first one, there cannot
be a tenth one. And when we got rid of alcohol, we found that life
became much more manageable.
