Addiction is a complex disease. You may get into substance abuse due to peer pressure or in an attempt to escape the harsh realities of life. Not only does this ruin your lifestyle, but your health also deteriorates due to alcohol and/or drug abuse.
It’s not easy to overcome addiction, mainly because of the painful withdrawal symptoms and side-effects. But if you’ve made up your mind that you won’t consume alcohol or drugs, then nothing can stop you from achieving your goals.
The first step towards recovery begins with an assessment or evaluation.
Drug and Alcohol Assessments
If you occasionally drink alcohol or take a small dose of recreational drugs, this behavior is less likely to lead to addiction. However, if you frequently overdose on prescription drugs or binge drink on a regular basis, these actions would be a warning sign of addiction.
Before you consider joining a rehab program, you should determine whether or not you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of visiting a doctor and discussing your symptoms with them, you may turn to the internet to find answers.
You can find many websites that offer drug and alcohol assessment facilities. They ask you to fill out a questionnaire and diagnose the condition on the basis of your answers.
Aside from asking you about drug or alcohol consumption, the questionnaire may also include some questions that appear irrelevant. For instance, you may be inquired about potential family problems or your childhood days. Moreover, the professional may also ask your family members to complete a brief questionnaire so that they can better understand your health and the potential reasons behind your behavior.
Online Drug and Alcohol Assessment Tools
Online drug and alcohol assessment tests allow you to evaluate your own substance consumption. All you need to do is to fill a questionnaire. You can find out whether you’re an addict and also learn about potential health risks.
Online Drug and Alcohol Assessments: Benefits and Risks
A variety of factors can contribute to addiction and negatively affect your lifestyle. With the help of an in-depth assessment, you can learn about the most suitable treatment options and lifestyle changes you should make.
If you’re busy or you aren’t aware of good rehabilitation facilities nearby, you may carry out an online search to find answers to your uncertainties. You can find websites that conduct online assessments that help patients determine whether or not they need addiction treatment, and also find out which treatment options would work best for them.
Negative Aspects of Online Drug and Alcohol Assessments
While online alcohol and drug assessment save you from the hassles of visiting a rehab center for assessment, you have to be extremely careful when choosing an online assessment. This is because not every assessment service can be trusted.
Rehab centers host such assessments on their websites. You will likely have to provide your personal information in order to get results. But what if the website isn’t genuine and your personal information is shared with unauthorized users? If you don’t want to suffer at the hands of bogus websites, you shouldn’t trust every assessment service available online.
Since these online assessment tests are usually published by rehab centers, they are also used as a marketing tool. This tactic helps rehab centers spread the word about their business and persuade potential clients to seek treatment with their facility. A brief experiment by Thaddeus Camlin showed that it’s not safe to blindly trust the results of every online addiction assessment.
Online assessments involve a questionnaire that includes information about your lifestyle, substance consumption, family issues, and your professional life. You have to answer every question honestly in order to achieve an accurate answer in regard to your potential condition.
These answers are evaluated and results are then generated. But if the rehab center is using this tool for marketing, they will likely tamper with the results.
This happened with Thaddeus Camlin, mentioned above, who tried out different combinations of answers to determine if the tool was credible. The results surprised him: regardless of the answers he provided, the results always showed that he was an addict in need of professional assistance.
Such tactics negate the efficacy of online drug and alcohol assessments. Even if you consume a glass of alcohol every weekend and never overdose on drugs, the assessment results will suggest that you should join a rehab program to get your life back on track.
Common Assessment Questions
Addiction evaluation and assessment questionnaires usually include the following questions:
- Have your family members or friends ever suggested that you limit alcohol or drug intake?
- Did you try and fail to stop drug or alcohol consumption?
- Have you experienced financial, marital or legal problems due to a drug overdose?
- Has your personal or professional life suffered in any way because of alcohol or drugs?
- Have you ever tried to hide drug or alcohol usage?
- Did you ever do something under the influence that you’re now ashamed of?
- Do you drink or take drugs when stressed or angry?
- Have you lost interest in activities that you enjoyed the most?
- Do you neglect a proper diet due to your drinking habit?
- Do you feel agitated or experience tremors when you can’t get your hands on alcohol or drugs?
While online drug and alcohol assessments make results more convenient, you shouldn’t trust every assessment service. It is always best to visit a reputable addiction rehab facility, such as Scottsdale Recovery Center, or contact us online to get the right information to determine whether or not joining a our program is in your best interest.
