Alcohol Assessment

Do you need an alcohol or drug assessment? If you are a binge drinker or heavy drinker or use illicit substances, it may be time to get evaluated to determine the severity of your alcohol dependence. Here at Long Island Interventions, we off alcohol assessment as part of our intake process.

What Is A Drug or Alcohol Assessment?

An assessment is a tool used to determine if you have a dependency to alcohol or drugs and to assess the severity of your dependency. It can also be used to determine if you have or are developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol. This means that if you feel that you drink too much, take too many pills or use illicit substances, you can get an assessment from a drug treatment center to find out if you meet the criteria for an addiction or dependency to a substance, which can help you determine if you need to simply cut back or enter a short-term treatment program.

How Does It Work?

An alcohol or drug assessment involves a screening, assessment, follow-up and referral for a treatment program if you meet the criteria for having a dependency to a substance.

Screening

The initial screening process is to determine if you have a problem with alcohol or drugs. This usually involves filling out a survey or test. It’s important to be honest when filling out the screening paperwork. The end result of these tests either tells you that you have an addiction or you do not. The most common test used is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). This test is ten questions and includes:

• How often do you consume beverages that contain alcohol?
• How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a day where you are drinking alcoholic beverages?
• How often do you have six or more drinks in one day or occasion?
• How many times during the last year did you find that you could not stop drinking once started?
• How often in the last 12 months have you found that you needed a drink to get started in the morning?
• How often in the last year did you feel guilt or remorse after a day or night of heavy drinking?
• How often have you not been able to remember the past night due to your drinking?
• Have you ever injured yourself or another person while drinking?
• Has anyone ever shown concern about your drinking or told you that you need to cut back?
• How often in the last year have you not done what was expected of you, like school or work or a family event, because of your drinking?

Understanding How Many Drinks Are in a Container

Part of being able to accurately fill out the questionnaire involves understanding how many drinks are in a bottle. For example, if you say you drink a fifth a night, you are actually consuming 17 drinks, not one.

• Beer – One drink is 12 ounces, 16oz is 1.3 drinks, 22oz is 2 drinks, 40oz is 3.3 drinks
• Malt Liquor (like a wine cooler) – 12 ounces is 1.5 drinks, 16oz is 2 drinks, 22oz is 2.5 drinks, 40oz is 4.5 drinks
• Wine – 1 drink is 5 ounces, 1 750ml bottle is 5 drinks
• Hard Liquor – 1.5 ounces is 1 drink, which means a mixed drink can contain 1+ drinks. 16Oz is 11 drinks, 25oz is 17 drinks, 59 ounces is 39 drinks

The reason knowing how much of a beverage is considered a drink is important because you may be underestimating your drinking. This is especially true if you like pints of beer. You may say that you drink two pints a night, so you have two drinks. The truth of the matter is that 32 ounces of beer is 2.67 drinks, and 32 ounces of malt liquor is 4 drinks.

Assessment

Once you complete the test, it will be assessed by a professional. Usually, the answer is a yes or no, meaning that yes, you have a dependency to alcohol or no, you do not. However, the answer can also be given in degrees, like mild, moderate or severe.

• No Drinking Problem – You have no markers that indicate a dependence to alcohol or another substance, but if it’s bothering you then you should stop drinking or using your drug of choice.
• Mild Problem Drinking – This diagnosis can mean that you have one or two markers that indicate you could have a drinking problem, and your health could be affected. At this stage, you may not need treatment, but you do need to cut back or stop drinking altogether before your symptoms get worse.
• Moderate Problem Drinking – You have four to five markers that indicate a drinking problem. You may need a short treatment program to get you back on track.
• Alcohol Dependent – You have a severe addiction to alcohol and need an intensive treatment program to detox and achieve long-term sobriety.

Follow-up

If the need for treatment is indicated by your screening and assessment, you will be given a follow-up appointment date. This follow-up date is used to discuss your treatment options so that you can make an informed decision on how to proceed with your recovery.

Drug Treatment Referral

At the end of your follow-up treatment, you’ll be given a drug treatment referral. If you had your screening and assessment at Long Island Interventions, your referral would be a date to enter one of our treatment programs, including inpatient, outpatient or intensive outpatient.

Court-Ordered Drug or Alcohol Evaluations

In some instances, like if you’ve received a DUI or DWI, a judge may order a drug or alcohol evaluation. This means that you must complete a drug or alcohol evaluation at a center approved by the state. The results of these assessments are used to determine if you need treatment and the results may be used to help sentence you in your crime, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Who Conducts Drug and Alcohol Evaluations?

Drug and alcohol evaluations are most often conducted by treatment centers because either you or someone you love needs to be evaluated for addiction. These evaluations are given by qualified professionals that can explain the assessments to you and answer your questions. Once you’ve completed the intake questionnaire, the professional can determine your results and explain them to you.

Getting Assessed at Long Island Interventions in Westbury, NY

If you are concerned about your drinking or a family member’s or friend’s drinking, you can call us. We offer screening, intake assessments and treatment recommendations so that you or your loved one can regain their sobriety and resume a happy, healthy and productive lifestyle. At our treatment center, we offer interventions, detox, inpatient and outpatient treatment options for a variety of substance use disorders, including alcohol, Adderall, benzos, cocaine, codeine, morphine, fentanyl, heroin, pain pills, inhalants, meth and many other substances.

To start the process of regaining your sobriety, give us a call today. You can also talk to us on our live chat. We are here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week and even on holidays.