Alcoholism is a rough word to deal with.

Yet nobody is too young (or too old) to have trouble with booze.

That's because alcoholism is an illness. It can hit anyone. Young, old. Rich, poor. Black, white. And it doesn't matter how long you've been drinking or what you've been drinking. It's what drinking does to you that counts. To help you decide whether you might have a problem with your own drinking, we've prepared these 12 questions. The answers are nobody's business but your own.

If you can answer yes to any one of these questions, maybe it's time you took a serious look at what your drinking might be doing to you.

And, if you do need help or if you'd just like to talk to someone about your drinking, contact us. In Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire,
call 0115 941 7100 between 8:00am - midnight, or contact us through this web site.

Otherwise, look for Alcoholics Anonymous in your local telephone directory. In many places a local A.A. number is also included in the useful numbers section. These telephones are manned by volunteers who will be happy to answer your questions, or put you in touch with those who can. If there is no A.A. telephone service close to you, write or phone the A.A. General Service Office for Great Britain.

A Simple 12-Question Quiz designed To Help You Decide

1. Do you drink because you have problems? To face up to stressful situations?
2. Do you drink when you get mad at other people, your friends or parents?
3. Do you often prefer to drink alone, rather than with others?
4. Are you starting to get low marks? Are you skiving off work?
5. Do you ever try to stop or drink less - and fail?
6. Have you begun to drink in the morning, before school or work?
7. Do you gulp your drinks as if to satisfy a great thirst?
8. Do you ever have loss of memory due to your drinking?
9. Do you avoid being honest with others about your drinking?
10. Do you ever get into trouble when you are drinking?
11. Do you often get drunk when you drink, even when you do not mean to?
12. Do you think you're big to be able to hold your drink?