Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT)

What is the Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT)?

The AUDIT Alcohol Screening Test is a useful screening tool that was developed by the World Health Organization. It is used to determine if a person who is suspected of having an alcohol use disorder (AUD) actually has one or is at risk of developing one.

It comes in the form of a ten-item questionnaire that asks the following questions:

• How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
• How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
• How often do you have five or more drinks on one occasion?
• How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?
• How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?
• How often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?
• How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
• How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because of your drinking?
• Have you or someone else been injured because of your drinking?
• Has a relative, friend, doctor, or other health care worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested you cut down?

The first three questions focus on the person’s frequency of consuming alcohol as well as the amount they usually consume.

The fourth question up to the sixth seeks to determine if a person has developed a dependence on alcohol.

The remaining questions revolve around how alcohol has impacted the person in terms of negative feelings they feel when they drink, if their drinking has caused harm to themself or others, and if others have started to express concern for their alcohol consumption.

How to use the Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT):

Have the patient answer it.

You can administer the test in two ways. You can either hand a copy to the patient and have them answer the questionnaire on their own, or you can conduct it in an interview format. This involves asking them the questions and prompting them with the possible answers they can give.

Either way, the patient simply needs to answer with one out of five possible answers (or one out of three possible answers because the last two questions only have three choices).

Questions 1, 3 to 8 have the following choices:

• Never
• Less than monthly
• Monthly
• Weekly
• Daily or almost daily

Question 2 has the following:

• 0-2
• 3 or 4
• 5 or 6
• 7-9
• 10 or more

While the last two questions only have three choices:

• No
• Yes, but not in the last year
• Yes, in the last year

After the questionnaire, there will be one last question. This one will not be included in the scoring, which will be discussed below.

The last question is “Have you ever been in treatment for an alcohol problem?” They only need to answer with any of the following:

• Never
• Currently
• In the past 

Tally the scores.

Now, speaking of scores, a patient may score anything from 0 to 4, depending on their answers. You will see the assigned scores per answer on the actual sheet.

Once you have a fully-accomplished questionnaire, you simply need to tally the score and then determine the score range that it falls under.

The score ranges are organized by risk zone. Here are the ranges:

Go with the course of action recommender for the zone your patient falls on.

The Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT) is more than just a questionnaire. It provides suggested actions for you to take depending on the specific zone that your patient falls under after completing the questionnaire.

You may refer to the following:

When does one typically administer the Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT)?

Healthcare practitioners normally administer this test whenever a person self-reports that they feel they are at risk of developing an alcohol use disorder or they already have one. This may also be administered if someone else reports that person and the person in question shows up to be screened.

This test is also used by practitioners who conduct routine examinations as part of a larger comprehensive assessment that covers numerous bases. This is normally used alongside other tools because it is used to check if a person’s alcohol use is related to another condition.

Rehabilitation programs also use this to monitor someone’s progress with alcohol detoxification, as well as to help determine what goes into a person’s treatment plan and rehabilitation process.

Who can use this Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT) and for whom is it?

The AUDIT Screening Test can be used by numerous healthcare professionals. The following professionals, among others, may use this valuable screening tool:

• Rehabilitation specialists
• Addiction specialists
• Primary care physicians
• Nurses
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists

As long as alcohol may be involved in affecting a person’s condition, or if an alcohol use disorder is the main problem, this can be used to assess the patient.

Ultimately, this test was developed for the benefit of the patient because the test comes with directives that healthcare professionals can use in order to determine what would help the patient based on the severity zone they are in.

What are the benefits of using the Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT)?

It’s straightforward and easy to use.

The test is only ten items long and the possible answers are set. This means that it shouldn’t take too long to accomplish this test, whether it’s conducted in an interview format or if it’s issued to a patient for them to complete on their own.

The scores are also set for each answer so practitioners don’t need to worry about what counts as a 0, 1, or 4.

It will help professionals determine the next course of action for the patient.

As mentioned earlier, the Alcohol Screening Test (AUDIT) is more than just a ten-item questionnaire because it comes with directives suited for the patient.

Do they simply need to follow safe drinking guidelines? Do they need an intervention? Do they need to be assessed further for an official diagnosis? Do they require more support besides interventions and abstinence? These are just some of the questions that can be answered when a professional receives a fully-accomplished test.

This could help curb the development of an AUD.

Prevention is the cure, so they say. If this test was used and the patient is showing early signs of developing an alcohol use disorder, the results can help determine how to prevent those signs from becoming worse and hopefully eliminate the symptoms through tailor-fitted treatment plans.

It’s also a good way to monitor a patient’s progress.

If the patient is already undergoing intervention and even a treatment plan to help them overcome an alcohol use disorder, then reissuing this test every now and then should help you monitor their progress. Are they getting better or worse? Is your treatment plan even working or do you need to make some adjustments? You will be able to answer those questions when you reissue this test.