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Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

(AUDIT)
This is a more detailed questionnaire than the CAGE Questions. It has been developed by the World Health
Organization [1] as a simple screening tool to pick up the early signs of hazardous and harmful drinking and
identify mild dependence. [2]
Begin the AUDIT by saying Now I am going to ask you some questions about your use of alcoholic
drinks during this past year.
Read the questions as written. Record answers carefully.
Explain what is meant by alcoholic drinks by using local examples of beer, wine, vodka, etc.
Code answers in terms of standard drinks. Select the correct answer number in the box on the
right. [1]

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The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Interview Version
Read questions as written.
1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?

0 points - Never
1 point - Monthly or less
2 points - 2 to 4 times a MONTH
3 points - 2 to 3 times a WEEK
4 points - 4 or more times a week

Questioner may skip to Questions 9 and 10 if reply to Question 1 is never, or if both answers to Q 2 and 3 are 0.
2. How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking?

0 points - 1 or 2 drinks
1 point - 3 or 4 drinks
2 points - 5 or 6 drinks
3 points - 7 or 8 or 9 drinks
4 points - 10 or more drinks

3. How often have you had 6 or more units if female, or 8 or more if male, on a single
occasion in the last year?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

AUDIT-C Score

/12 (complete full questionnaire if score is 3 or more)

4. How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking
once you had started?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected
from you because of drinking?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

6. How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink in the morning to
get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

7. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after
drinking?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

8. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened
the night before because you had been drinking?

0 points - Never
1 point - Less than monthly
2 points - Monthly
3 points - Weekly
4 points - Daily or almost daily

9. Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?

0 points - No, never

2 points - Yes, but not in the last year
4 points - Yes, during the last year

10. Has a relative or friend or a doctor or another health worker been concerned about
your drinking or suggested you cut down?

0 points - No, never

2 points - Yes, but not in the last year
4 points - Yes, during the last year

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Score =

/40

Scores of 8 or more are considered an indicator of hazardous and harmful alcohol use.

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The calculator has been created from the questionnaire in Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro
MG; The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Guidelines for Use in Primary Care, Second Edition,
Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence, World Health Organization, CH-1211 Geneva 27,
Switzerland. World Health Organization 2001, reproduced here with permission.
AUDIT was tested on a sample of 913 drinking patients, and has 92% sensitivity and specificity of 94% using the
8/40 threshold. [2]

AUDIT-C (shortened form)

The AUDIT-C is a shortened version of the above using the first 3 questions only. [3] [4] Using a cutoff 4 the AuditC has a sensitivity of 86% of patients with heavy drinking and/or active alcohol abuse or dependence with a
specificity of 72%. Using a cutoff of 3, AUDIT-C identifies 90% of patients with active alcohol abuse or
dependence and 98% of patients with heavy drinking, (specificity was only 60%, false-positive rate 40%). [3]
It is recommended a score of 3 or more points on the AUDIT-C, or a report of drinking 6 or more drinks on one
occasion ever in the last year, should lead to a more detailed assessment of drinking and related problems (ie
completion of the full questionnaire). [3]

Further reading & references

Dawson DA, Smith SM, Saha TD, et al; Comparative performance of the AUDIT-C in screening for DSM-IV and DSM-5
alcohol use disorders. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Dec 1;126(3):384-8. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.05.029. Epub
2012 Jun 22.
1. Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG; The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Guidelines for Use
in Primary Care, Second Edition, Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence, World Health Organization.
2. Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF, et al; Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO
Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption--II. Addiction. 1993 Jun;88(6):791804.
3. Bush K, Kivlahan DR, McDonell MB, et al; The AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C): an effective brief
screening test for problem drinking. Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement Project (ACQUIP). Alcohol Use Disorders
Identification Test. Arch Intern Med. 1998 Sep 14;158(16):1789-95.
4. Bradley KA, DeBenedetti AF, Volk RJ, et al; AUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care. Alcohol Clin Exp
Res. 2007 Jul;31(7):1208-17. Epub 2007 Apr 19.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical
conditions. EMIS has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its
accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
For details see our conditions.
Original Author:
Dr Huw Thomas

Current Version:
Dr Hayley Willacy

Peer Reviewer:
Dr Colin Tidy

Document ID:
9152 (v13)

Last Checked:
17/01/2014

Next Review:
16/01/2019

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