The World Health Organisation developed the following Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to determine if a person’s alcohol consumption may be harmful.
Questions 1–3 ask about your alcohol consumption, 4–6 are about alcohol dependence, and 7–10 consider problems that relate to alcohol.
A score of more than eight for a man, or more than seven for a woman, suggests that you may consume alcohol harmfully or dangerously. If you score more than twenty, you may have an alcohol dependence problem and require specialized treatment.
If you score higher than seven or eight, please contact us at Cirque Lodge. One of our medical professionals can discuss your alcohol use and talk about the next steps.
We treat all clients with compassion and without judgment, and your privacy is our highest priority.
Take the AUDIT Test
The following 10 questions are about your use of alcohol during the past 12 months.
In questions 2 and 3, one drink means 10 grams of pure alcohol.
For example:
- One can of beer (330ml) at 5% ABV = 13g of pure alcohol
- One glass of wine (140ml) at 12% ABV = 13.3g of pure alcohol
- One shot of spirits (40ml) at 40% ABV = 12.6g of pure alcohol
1. How often do you have an alcoholic drink?
- 0 points – Never
- 1 point – Monthly or less
- 2 points – two to four times a month
- 3 points – two to three times a week
- 4 points – four or more times a week
2. How many alcohol-containing drinks do you have per day?
- 0 points – one or two drinks
- 1 point – three or four drinks
- 2 points – five or six drinks
- 3 points – seven, eight or nine drinks
- 4 points – ten or more drinks
3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
- 0 points – Never
- 1 point – Less than monthly
- 2 points – Monthly
- 3 points – Weekly
- 4 points – Daily or almost daily
4. How often during the last year have you found that you could not 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
Healthy drinking usually involves having one or two drinks at a social or sports event and stopping drinking at some point in the evening. You choose to have a drink because you want to – your drinking is within your control.
If you are struggling with an alcohol use disorder (AUD), you do not have control over your drinking. Addiction causes you to seek alcohol compulsively, even when it damages your physical and mental health.
5. How often during the last year have you been unable 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
Alcohol misuse can take over your life. If you are addicted to alcohol, you often devote most of your time to obtaining alcohol, using alcohol, and recovering from heavy drinking.
Alcohol abuse and alcoholism interfere with your work and home life. You may arrive at your job late or miss days from work because you are hungover. You may neglect your usual responsibilities at home and drink instead.
Alcohol misuse is associated with high costs to employers, including missed workdays, decreased productivity, turnover, health problems, and accidents.
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 felt 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 could you not 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
Drinking alcohol can damage short-term and long-term memory. A heavy drinking session can cause memory lapses and make it difficult or impossible to recall recent events. Long-term alcohol use can lead to permanent neurological conditions such as Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.
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
Drinking a lot of alcohol in a short time severely impairs your coordination and judgment. You are more likely to have a serious or even fatal accident, including falls, burns, drownings, and car accidents. You are also more likely to behave violently and injure others.
10. Has a relative or friend or a doctor been concerned about your drinking or suggested you drink less?
- 0 points – No, never
- 2 points – Yes, but not in the last year
- 4 points – Yes, during the last year
TOTAL: /40
