discussion

1

AUDIT-C Questionnaire

1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?

a. Never

b. Monthly or less

c. 2-4 times a month

d. 2-3 times a week

e. 4 or more times a week

2. How many standard drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day?

a. 1 or 2

b. 3 or 4

c. 5 or 6

d. 7 to 9

e. 10 or more

3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?

a. Never

b. Less than monthly

c. Monthly

d. Weekly

e. Daily or almost daily

2

Overview The AUDIT-C is a 3-item alcohol screen that can help identify persons who are hazardous drinkers or have active alcohol use disorders (including alcohol abuse or dependence). The AUDIT-C is a modified version of the 10 question AUDIT instrument.

Clinical Utility The AUDIT-C is a brief alcohol screen that reliably identifies patients who are hazardous drinkers or have active alcohol use disorders.

Scoring The AUDIT-C is scored on a scale of 0-12.

Each AUDIT-C question has 5 answer choices. Points allotted are: a = 0 points, b = 1 point, c = 2 points, d = 3 points, e = 4 points In men, a score of 4 or more is considered positive, In women, a score of 3 or more is considered positive (same as above).

A positive score is indicative of hazardous drinking or active alcohol use disorders. However, when the points are all from Question #1 alone (#2 & #3 are zero), it can be assumed that the patient is drinking below recommended limits and it is suggested that the provider review the patient’s alcohol intake over the past few months to confirm accuracy. Generally, the higher the score, the more likely it is that the patient’s drinking is affecting his or her safety.