For everyone who googled this at 6 a.m.
“Am I really an alcoholic?” That's the wrong first question.
Maybe. Maybe not. Grey-area drinking is real, it's everywhere, and nobody hands out a certificate you must earn before you're allowed to want something better. The label is optional. The help isn't.
No email · nothing stored · runs on this page. In crisis? Call or text 988, any hour.
Medical safety · the part nobody tells you
If you've been drinking heavily every day for a long stretch, your body has quietly rebuilt itself around alcohol. Stop abruptly and — for a minority of heavy daily drinkers — withdrawal can escalate past misery into a medical emergency: seizures, or the confusion, fever, and racing heart of delirium tremens. That's physiology, not weakness, and it's manageable when it's planned for.
- Who this applies to
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- Heavy drinking most days, for weeks or months on end
- Morning shakes or sweats that a drink settles
- Tremors, hallucinations, or a seizure during a past attempt to stop
- What to do instead
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- Talk to a doctor before quitting cold — one call settles it
- Medical detox is short, supervised, often provincially funded
- A guided taper is a legitimate, common medical plan
- What this is not
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- A reason to keep drinking
- Most people who cut back or stop never need detox
- This note is for the minority who do
Emergency signs after stopping — a seizure, hallucinations, severe confusion, fever with a racing heart — are a 911 call, now.
No email, no account, nothing stored
Read every guide and take the self-check without giving a name or an address. The self-check runs entirely in your browser — your answers never leave the page, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask us to connect you.
Medical honesty, even where it's uncomfortable
For a minority of heavy daily drinkers, stopping suddenly is the dangerous part — withdrawal can escalate to seizures or delirium tremens. Nobody in a meeting is positioned to tell you that formally. We say it plainly, on every page where it matters, and show the safe route.
Every real path respected — AA, secular, medical
AA works for millions. So do SMART Recovery, LifeRing, agnostic AA meetings, medication-supported routes, and formal treatment. We map all of them honestly, in our own words, and never pretend there's only one door.
Two honest minutes
Two minutes of telling yourself the truth.
We rebuilt the drinking self-check from scratch, in plain language — scored exactly the way clinicians score the WHO's AUDIT screen. Ten questions, honest ranges instead of scare tactics. No email, nothing stored, and it never leaves your browser.
Take the self-check →The ranges, plainly:
- 0–7 of 40lower risk
- 8–14 of 40hazardous — the current isn't drifting anywhere good
- 15–19 of 40harmful — likely already costing you
- 20–40 of 40possible dependence — see a doctor before stopping cold
Based on the WHO AUDIT. Only a professional assessment can diagnose.
Three doors. No hierarchy.
People imagine a ladder: cut back, then meetings, then — if you “fail” — rehab. That's not how it works. Cutting back with support, meetings, and treatment are three doors into the same hallway, and you can walk through more than one at once.
Your first AA meeting
Free, everywhere, tonight — and asks nothing.
Alcoholics Anonymous puts you in a room — or on a call — with people who get it. Wanting to stop drinking is the entire entry requirement: you don't apply, qualify, believe, or commit. And if the religious tone isn't for you, secular meetings and secular alternatives exist too.
What actually happens →- “I'll just listen tonight” is a complete sentence, used daily.
- First names only. No sign-in sheet, no record you were there.
- Nobody makes you say you're an alcoholic. Nobody signs anything.
- Late is fine. The back row is fine. Leaving early is fine.
Straight answers
Is this confidential?
Yes. You can read everything and take the self-check without an account or an email — the self-check runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. If you choose to send a connection request, we ask for your express consent first, and your details go only to the licensed providers matched to your request. We never sell your information to data brokers or advertisers.
Do I have to call myself an alcoholic?
No. Nobody here hands out labels, and no meeting or program requires one either — AA's only stated requirement is a desire to stop drinking, and grey-area drinking is reason enough to want something better. If the word is what's kept you from looking for help, leave the word out and keep looking.
Can I just stop drinking on my own?
Many people can — and for a minority of heavy daily drinkers, stopping suddenly is genuinely dangerous: withdrawal can escalate to seizures or delirium tremens. If you drink heavily most days, or a past quit brought shakes, sweats, or worse, talk to a doctor before quitting cold. Medical detox is short, supervised, and often provincially funded. One phone call settles it.
Is the self-check a diagnosis?
No. It's an educational screen written in our own words and scored the standard clinical way, based on the WHO AUDIT — the same screen a doctor would likely use. It can tell you honestly which range your drinking lands in and where to start; only a qualified professional can make a diagnosis. Your answers never leave the page.
You don't need the label to start.
Two minutes of honesty is enough for today. Take the self-check, or let us make one warm introduction when you're ready — and if you drink heavily every day, talk to a doctor before changing anything.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988, any hour, free.