Ohio RehabSAMHSA-sourced directory

Do I need treatment? A private self-check

Eleven yes-or-no questions, the criteria clinicians use for substance use disorder. About two minutes. Your answers stay in your browser.

By the Ohio Rehab editorial team · SAMHSA data November 5, 2026 · Independent directory: not a government service, not affiliated with SAMHSA or the State

Take the self-check

Answer yes if it has happened in the last 12 months. Each question is one of the eleven criteria clinicians use to diagnose substance use disorder in the DSM-5-TR, the American Psychiatric Association's manual.

11 questions · about 2 minutes

  1. Criterion 1 of 11

    Have you used more, or for longer, than you meant to?

    The evening that was going to be one or two drinks; the weekend that ran into Monday.

  2. Criterion 2 of 11

    Have you tried to cut down or stop and not been able to?

    Rules you set for yourself, or a week off, that did not hold.

  3. Criterion 3 of 11

    Do you spend a lot of time getting it, using it or getting over it?

    Planning around supply, lost mornings, slow days after.

  4. Criterion 4 of 11

    Do you get cravings or strong urges to use?

    Thoughts about using that push in, often set off by stress, places or people.

  5. Criterion 5 of 11

    Has using got in the way of work, school or home?

    Missed shifts, slipping grades, things at home left undone.

  6. Criterion 6 of 11

    Have you kept using even though it causes problems with people close to you?

    Arguments, a partner or family member worried, and the use goes on.

  7. Criterion 7 of 11

    Have you given up activities that used to matter to you?

    Sport, hobbies, friends you have stopped seeing.

  8. Criterion 8 of 11

    Have you used in situations where it was physically dangerous?

    Driving, working with machinery, mixing substances.

  9. Criterion 9 of 11

    Have you kept using even though it harms your body or your mood?

    A doctor's warning, worse anxiety or depression, and you keep using.

  10. Criterion 10 of 11

    Do you need more to get the same effect?

    Tolerance: the amount that used to work no longer does.

  11. Criterion 11 of 11

    Do you get withdrawal when you stop, or use to keep it away?

    Sweating, shaking, nausea, anxiety or poor sleep when you stop.

Your answers stay in this browser. We do not record or send them.

Which level of care fits?

Programs decide the level of care with an assessment based on the ASAM criteria. These six questions follow the same dimensions and give you a starting point to bring to that conversation. Your answers stay in this browser.

  1. Do you drink or use daily and feel shaky, sick or sweaty when you stop?Alcohol, benzodiazepine and opioid withdrawal can need medical care.

  2. Do you have a medical condition that needs monitoring, or are you pregnant?For example heart, liver or lung disease, seizures, or pregnancy.

  3. Are depression, anxiety, trauma or other mental health symptoms part of the picture?Programs that treat both at once do better for most people.

  4. Have you tried outpatient treatment before and gone back to using?Earlier attempts help set how much structure to start with.

  5. Is your home a safe place to stay sober, with no one using there?A home where others use, or that is not safe, changes the starting point.

  6. Are opioids part of what you use?Heroin, fentanyl, or pain pills taken other than prescribed.

What substance use disorder means

Until 2013 the manual split problems into "abuse" and "dependence". The DSM-5 merged them into one diagnosis, substance use disorder, graded by severity, because the old split did not predict who did worse. The diagnosis needs two or more of eleven criteria within twelve months.

The criteria fall into four groups: losing control over use, harm to work and relationships, risky use, and the body's adjustment (tolerance and withdrawal). Tolerance and withdrawal alone do not count when they come from a medicine taken as prescribed.

The eleven criteria

  1. Using more, or for longer, than intended
  2. Wanting or trying to cut down without success
  3. Much time spent getting, using or recovering
  4. Craving
  5. Failing obligations at work, school or home
  6. Continued use despite problems with other people
  7. Giving up important activities
  8. Use in physically hazardous situations
  9. Continued use despite physical or psychological harm
  10. Tolerance
  11. Withdrawal

How severity maps to care

673outpatient programs in Ohio

Mild (2–3 criteria). Outpatient counseling, individual or group, is usually enough. Ohio has 673 listed outpatient programs, see them by city.

Moderate (4–5). An intensive outpatient program (193 here) or day program (188), plus medication for opioid or alcohol use. 308 programs offer medication-assisted treatment.

Severe (6 or more). Often a residential program (133 here), and medical detox first (105 here) when withdrawal could be dangerous.

Addiction treatment programs in Ohio by level of care
Addiction treatment programs in Ohio by level of care

Severity is a starting estimate, not a forecast. Programs set the actual level of care with an assessment based on the ASAM criteria, which also look at withdrawal risk, health, mental health, readiness and home life.

What to do with your result

  • No disorder indicated, still worried. Harm below the threshold is still harm. A primary care doctor or a counselor can talk it through.
  • Mild or moderate. Book an evaluation with a counselor or physician. Most people at this level are treated without a residential stay.
  • Severe. Call this week. You do not need to wait for things to get worse to deserve help.
  • Daily heavy drinking, benzodiazepines, or pregnancy: stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Start with medically supervised detox.
  • Thoughts of suicide: call or text 988 now.

Want to talk your result through with someone? Call (220) 237-1782 Paid referral line, answered by a partner, not by a program listed here.

Other validated screening tools

Clinicians also use these. Like this self-check, they screen; they do not diagnose.

ToolScreens forQuestionsWhere it is used
AUDITAlcohol10Primary care; developed by the World Health Organization
DAST-10Drugs other than alcohol10Yes-or-no, under five minutes
CAGE-AIDAlcohol and drugs4Quick checks in clinics
ASSISTEight groups of substances8 per substanceLonger WHO interview

Sources

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., text revision (DSM-5-TR), 2022. www.psychiatry.org
  2. ASAM. The ASAM Criteria, 4th ed., 2023. www.asam.org
  3. NIDA. Treatment approaches for drug addiction. nida.nih.gov
  4. Babor TF et al. AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. World Health Organization, 2001. www.who.int
  5. Skinner HA. The Drug Abuse Screening Test. Addictive Behaviors, 1982.
  6. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org

Facility counts come from the SAMHSA snapshot of November 5, 2026.

Last checked November 5, 2026 by the Ohio Rehab editorial team against the sources above. How we work.

About the self-check

Questions

Is this self-check a diagnosis?

No.

Details: is this self-check a diagnosis

It uses the same eleven criteria clinicians use, but a diagnosis also weighs your history, health and context in a face-to-face assessment. The result gives you words to describe what is happening when you talk to a doctor or counselor.

Are my answers saved?

No.

Details: are my answers saved

The questions run in your browser and the answers are never sent to us or anyone else. Closing the page erases them.

Does it work for alcohol and for drugs?

Yes.

Details: does it work for alcohol and for…

The DSM-5-TR uses the same eleven criteria for alcohol, opioids, stimulants, cannabis, sedatives and other substances. Answer about the one that worries you most.

Where can I get an evaluation in Ohio?

Any of the 747 listed programs can assess you, and most do it at the first visit. Ask each program whether it takes your insurance, or call the referral line (a paid line, answered by a partner) if you are unsure where to start.