Taking stock of your use: noticing without judging yourself
Asking yourself "am I using too much?" doesn't make you dependent. It is a personal step, often a quiet one, and it deserves clear information and suitable tools. Taking stock simply means looking at where you are, before a situation sets in, or to better understand a worry that is already there.
Why take stock early
The earlier the question is asked, the easier it is to act: adjust a habit, talk about it, get advice. This is the principle of early identification and brief intervention, used by health professionals: ask a few questions, give the result back without judgment, suggest options.
One important point: a score is not a diagnosis. A test gives a marker, not a verdict. It can say "this deserves a closer look", never "you are dependent".
The tools that exist
Several questionnaires are recognised and used in practice.
- AUDIT and AUDIT-C (alcohol). Developed by the World Health Organization, the AUDIT assesses alcohol use and its consequences; its short version, the AUDIT-C, has three questions. You can take the alcohol test on the site.
- CAST (cannabis). A short questionnaire validated in France, designed to identify problematic cannabis use.
- Fagerström test (tobacco). It assesses the level of nicotine dependence.
- Knowledge quizzes, such as "Can you recognise an addiction?" or the cannabis quiz, which help separate myths from real markers. All the quizzes are gathered on the quizzes page.
For screens, gambling or other behaviours, there isn't always such a standardised test: you rely more on the questions below.
The questions that matter more than the score
Professionals care less about a quantity than about the relationship a person has with the substance or the behaviour. A few questions sum up the essentials:
- Using more, or for longer, than planned, repeatedly?
- Having tried to cut down or stop without managing to?
- Spending a lot of time using, getting hold of it or recovering from it?
- Feeling a strong craving that is hard to push away?
- Seeing your life (work, family, health, money) affected, without it changing much?
- Carrying on despite the problems you can plainly see?
- Needing increasing amounts for the same effect, or feeling unpleasant lack when you stop?
A single one of these signs, on one occasion, says nothing. What counts is their repetition, their combination and their duration. This applies to alcohol as much as to cannabis, medicines, gambling or screens.
How to use a test without getting lost
- Answer honestly, for yourself. Nobody needs to know: there are no right or wrong answers.
- Pick a calm moment, not the morning after a night out or in the middle of an argument.
- Read the result as an indication, not a sentence. A low score can hide suffering; a high score is not irreversible.
- Take it again from time to time: situations change.
- Talk about it if the result makes you wonder, with someone you trust or a professional.
Being screened by a professional
Screening doesn't only happen online. Health professionals can raise substance use routinely and without judgment: family doctor, occupational physician, midwife, pharmacist, young-user consultations for teenagers and young adults, specialised services (CSAPA in France). If someone asks you about it, it's a way of opening the subject, not an accusation.
Would you rather talk before seeing anyone? Alcool Info Service (0 980 980 930) and Drogues Info Service (0 800 23 13 13) answer anonymously and without judgment, including people who are wondering without being sure they have a problem (French numbers).
After the test: what to do with the result?
- Nothing worrying? Keep the markers in mind and observe: if the place of the substance or behaviour grows, take stock again.
- Something catches your attention? You can try cutting down, keep a note of your use, talk to someone close, or ask for an opinion.
- The result is high, or you have tried to change without managing? A conversation with an addiction specialist lets you take stock in detail and consider what comes next.
Further reading
- How many alcoholic drinks per week? The official guidelines
- Denial in addiction: why we can't see our own use
- How can you tell if alcohol is taking up too much space in your life?
- The stages of change (Prochaska and DiClemente): why deciding isn't enough
Frequently asked questions
Can an online test replace a consultation?
No. A test gives a marker, not a diagnosis. It can help you decide to see someone or prepare for a conversation, but only an assessment by a professional takes into account your history, your health and your context.
My score is low: does that mean everything is fine?
Not necessarily. A test measures what it asks about: if you are struggling in another way (anxiety, sleep, isolation), it won't show it. If something worries you despite a reassuring score, it is still legitimate to talk about it.
When should you start to worry?
There is no universal threshold. People start to worry when loss of control, cravings or consequences (health, relationships, work) become repeated. The worry itself is already a good reason to take stock.
Do you need to be sure you have a problem to see someone?
No. You can see someone to ask yourself questions, take stock, understand your habits. A first conversation commits you to nothing and doesn't presume a dependence.
To talk about your situation, you can book an appointment.
