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Is My Drug Use A Problem

How Do I Know If My Drug Use Is A Problem?

Using illicit substances or misusing prescription medications can impact many areas of your life in potentially negative ways, including your health, relationships, employment, legal status, and finances.

The following questionnaire is called the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST). It is a list of questions concerning information about your potential involvement with drugs, excluding alcohol and tobacco, during the past 12 months. The results may help you to determine whether you would benefit from services to help you reduce or stop your drug use.

When the words “drug abuse” are used, they mean the use of prescribed or over‐the‐counter medications/drugs in excess of the directions and any non‐medical use of drugs. The various classes of drugs may include: cannabis (e.g., marijuana), solvents, tranquilizers (e.g., Valium. Ativan), barbiturates, cocaine, crack cocaine, stimulants (e.g., speed), hallucinogens (e.g., LSD) or narcotics (e.g., opiates such as Percocet, methadone, heroin, etc). Remember that the questions do not include alcohol or tobacco.

If you have difficulty with a statement, then choose the response that is mostly right.

These questions refer to the last 12 months:

  1. Have you used drugs other than those required for medical reasons?
  2. Do you abuse more than one drug at a time?
  3. Do you find it difficult to stop using drugs when you want to?
  4. Have you had "blackouts" or "flashbacks" as a result of drug use?
  5. Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?
  6. Does your spouse, partner, parents, or other loved ones ever complain about your involvement with drugs?
  7. Have you neglected your family because of your use of drugs?
  8. Have you engaged in illegal activities in order to obtain drugs?
  9. Have you ever experienced withdrawal symptoms (felt sick) when you stopped taking drugs?
  10. Have you had medical problems as a result of your drug use (e.g., memory loss, hepatitis, convulsions, bleeding, etc.)?

If you answered yes to three or more of the above 10 questions, you may benefit from reducing or stopping your drug use. Please click the following links to learn about services that our department has available to assist you:

https://doi.org/10.3922/j.psns.2009.1.12 Skinner, H. A. (1982). Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) [Database record]. APA PsycTests.

https://doi.org/10.1037/t03979-000