What is this Site About?
Opening
This is a tactical guide through the confusion of addiction. If you’re here because something feels wrong — you’re not imagining it. You may not have the words for it yet, and you may not be sure what you’re looking at. That’s exactly why this place exists. You don’t have to have it figured out to belong here.
A Note Before you Start
Whatever brought you here today — confusion, worry, a feeling you can’t quite name — it took something to get here. This is a website to help you learn early that someone might be in trouble. Looking clearly at someone you love, you be looking at signs…this is not a small thing. Be careful – no one sign or even a small collection of signs – means there is an addiction to alcohol or other drugs. Please follow our outline to get the best out of this website. You don’t have to have all the answers yet. You just have to be willing to look. You’ve already taken the first step by being here.
Next Steps
01
Join the site as a member
After you join the site, use the navigation menu at the top of the page to access the 101 Signs list. Get a quick sense of how it is organized. Signs are grouped by category. You do not need to read everything carefully yet. This step is simply about orientation.
02
Familiarize yourself with the 101 Signs list
After you join the site, use the navigation menu at the top of the page to access the 101 Signs list. Get a quick sense of how it is organized. Signs are grouped by category. You do not need to read everything carefully yet. This step is simply about orientation.
03
Download and print the Checklist and Rating Scale
Download and print out the Checklist and Rating Scale from the navigation bar. Keep a physical copy in front of you as you work through the list. There is a video that will show you how to best use the checklist.
04
Work through the 101 warning signs carefully
Go through each shortened description of the warning signs one at a time. If you want to understand it more fully, each page has a button that takes you to a deeper explanation of the warning sign if you need more information before making your assessment.
05
Rate each warning sign on the printed Checklist
As you read each sign, ask yourself whether you have seen or felt the warning sign…
- “never seen or felt”
- “sometimes seen or felt”
- “seen or felt many times”
- “seen or felt often”
06
Total the checkmarks in each column
Place a checkmark (√) in the column that best reflects what you have actually witnessed. There are no right or wrong answers — only what you have genuinely observed. When you have gone through the 101 warning signs, go to the bottom of the Checklist and add up the total number of checkmarks in each column.
07
Review the column totals
Look at the totals for each column and note which column has the highest number. This total reflects what behaviors you have observed over time. The pattern of warning signs is what matters, not any single single sign. The other columns show behaviors that could become a concern later on if the addictive behavior continues.
08
Use what you have learned to seek help
The completed Checklist and Rating Scale is now a tool, not a verdict. The numbers and the patterns will explain clearly and specifically what you have been observing to a professional addiction counselor, psychologist, or an interventionist when you reach out for help. After that contact, the checklist will also help the conversation you have with your loved one about your concerns. You are not alone… people who can help you are trained to take treat your loved one from this point forward.