Assessment

Addiction Assessment

Addiction assessment is the first step in the treatment of a drug or alcohol problem and helps with the rehab process. This assessment process helps in understanding whether an addiction is present or not, if yes- how far along gone it is, if there are any other co-occurring conditions with the addiction and what kind of treatment plan would be best suited for the problem. These assessments are conducted by trained professionals who are experts in diagnosing and treating addictions. Usually the assessment process takes place in a private setting where all the information provided by the addict is kept confidential and only used to help in the treatment process of the addict.

Addiction assessment process

The whole procedure of the test is quite straightforward. Your doctor or clinician will ask you to fill out a standardized questionnaire that will usually contain question like current drug or alcohol use, history of treatment if any, health history, your behavior pattern, symptoms as well as the impact your addiction as had on your life. Once you are done with the questionnaire, a one-on-one round of interview is conducted where the interviewer usually asks simple and open-ended questions that are designed to assist in making the correct diagnosis. All the information is kept strictly confidential.

Substance abuse self-assessment test

In the below given test you need to answer the simple questions honestly with a straight yes or no and then you keep a tally on how many of each you have.

 

1. Have you ever in the past decided or tried to stop drinking or taking your drug but have found yourself helpless in doing so for any length of time?
   YES NO
2. Have your near ones and friends ever told you that they are concerned or bothered about your drug or alcohol intake? Do they ever comment that they find it uncomfortable to be around you when you are intoxicated?
   YES NO
3. In the past few months have you woken up in the morning and immediately turn to drugs or alcohol to help you start your day?
   YES NO
4. Have you ever wished to be like other normal people who drink and still behave normally? Do you envy them?
   YES NO
5. Have you found yourself in trouble at work, school or with the law due to your drug or drinking habit?
   YES NO
6. In the past year has your habit of drug or alcohol caused a rift between you and your family, children, parents or friends
   YES NO
7. Have you ever found yourself missing important events at work or school because you were high, drunk or hung-over?
   YES NO
8. Do you normally suffer from “blackout” periods where you don’t remember what you did while or after taking drugs or drinking?
   YES NO
9. Does it ever enter your mind that if you could only quit suing drugs or drinking your life would be much better?YES NO

Drug screening tests

The usual screening tests for drugs use biological specimens like hair samples or urine to detect whether any drugs or metabolic are present in the body. However, these tests cannot detect whether the person is suffering from a possible addiction.