Alcohol Use Screen
Based on the AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption), the three consumption questions of the full AUDIT developed by the World Health Organization. Widely used in primary care to flag hazardous or harmful drinking patterns.
Think about your drinking over the past year.
1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
2. How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
4. How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?
5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?
6. How often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?
7. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
8. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because of your drinking?
9. Have you or someone else been injured because of your drinking?
10. Has a relative, friend, doctor, or other health care worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested you cut down?
About This Screener
This screener reproduces the AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption), the first three items of the full AUDIT developed by the WHO (Babor et al., 1989). Scores range from 0 to 12. The recommended cutoffs are: 3 or more for women, and 4 or more for men, indicating hazardous or harmful alcohol use. This screener uses a conservative cutoff of 3 to maximize sensitivity.
A positive screen does not indicate alcohol use disorder or addiction. It indicates that your consumption pattern is at a level that carries increased health risk and warrants a conversation with a clinician. The full AUDIT (10 questions) can assess whether dependence features are present.