Your First Step to Change: Alcohol Toolkit

The first step of your journey is to figure out if you need or want to change. Try to answer the following questions:

1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?	Yes	No
2. Have others annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?	Yes	No
3. Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?	Yes	No
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (eye-opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?¹	Yes	No

If you answered “Yes” to one or more of these questions, then you may want to consider looking more closely at your drinking. Many people are not aware of all the ways that alcohol can affect their lives. The following information and exercises will help you to identify difficulties you might be facing. Your responses to these questions might alert you to problems that you have not thought about before.