If you are exploring your chemical use for the first time, or contemplating whether another behavior has become addictive, the following 12 questions, drawn (and adapted) from the Diagnostic Standards Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, may help get you started. In the following quiz, the term chemical refers to Alcohol and other drugs; terms like behavior and activity are used interchangeably, referring to other potential addictions relating to sex, gambling, and food.

Yes/No : Do you ever use chemicals, gamble sums of money, consume food, or gather pornographic images in larger quantities than originally intended?

Yes/No : Do you ever engage in the activity for longer periods of time than you intended?

Yes/No : Do you now have or had in the past a persistent desire to cut down or control the behavior in question?

Yes/No : Have you ever tried to cut down on the activity?

Yes/No : Do you spend more time than you should in getting ready for the activity, or recovering from it?

Yes/No : Have you ever failed to meet a major life responsibility because you were intoxicated, or in withdrawal?

Yes/No : Have you given up any work, social, or recreational activities because of your chemical use, or preoccupying behavior?

Yes/No : Have you had any physical, psychological, or social problems that were made worse by your activity?

Yes/No : Have you continued in the activities in spite of knowing that they were causing or making physical, psychological, or social problems worse?

Yes/No : Did your tolerance (your ability to use a lot chemicals without intoxication, or your threshold for experiencing desired effects of an activity) increase after you started the behavior?

Yes/No : Have you ever used chemicals to keep you from getting sick or to make a hangover go away?

Yes/No : Have you ever used chemicals or engaged in the activity in order to prevent, soothe, or escape uncomfortable emotions?

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, you are probably caught in an addictive cycle, and it may be time to reach out for help.