Alcohol Abuse Disorder: Self-Assessment Screening Test

Approximately 14 million individuals across the United States of America struggle with a form of alcohol abuse disorder, or AUD. Statistics indicate that 3 in 12 adults indulge in binge drinking. This is a clear indication that alcohol abuse remains a serious issue and a common disease among the US population, affecting not just the individuals who drink, but also their families and friends. In case you’re worried that your loved one or yourself could be abusing alcohol, it’s essential to learn more about the symptoms of alcoholism and the signs of addiction. A dependable method for assessing your current condition in terms of your potential AUD is alcohol abuse self-assessment.¹

Alcohol assessment represents a questionnaire designed to assist individuals in determining whether or not they’re struggling with an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol abuse self-assessment attempts to determine the presence of addiction symptoms, some of which include alcohol craving, out-of-control alcohol intake, as well as other negative consequences of abusing this substance. Allocating the time to take and complete a self-assessment test for alcohol addiction can assist individuals in deciding if they should consult with a doctor or other medical professionals in getting help treating their alcohol use disorder.²

Some of the most important benefits of choosing to take an alcohol self-assessment test include:²

• Fostering a better understanding of your habitual drinking.
• Receiving the help you need, if you require it.
• Determining the presence of alcohol use disorder.
• Dismissing doubt on whether or not you’re suffering from AUD.

Completing an alcohol assessment test and answering all the required questions is a relatively brief process. It’s also completely private and confidential. This test doesn’t represent a definitive diagnosis of an alcohol abuse disorder, but rather a helpful indicator that suggests you might be experiencing an alcohol issue and that you should consider seeking professional assistance.²

How Do I Know If I Have an Alcohol Use Disorder?

Alcohol use disorder represents a condition characterized by habitual as well as abnormal alcohol intake. Individuals diagnosed with this type of disorder can exhibit a wide range of potential symptoms, ranging from very mild to extremely serious.³

The most frequent among these symptoms identified upon taking and completing an assessment test for alcohol addiction are:⁴

• Suffering from a strong urge to drink and subsequent cravings: One of the characteristics of alcohol use disorder is the presence of intense craving as well as a strong urge to drink, making individuals feel like they’re not in control of their drinking habit.
• Experiencing difficulty reducing or stopping alcohol intake: AUDs often make it extremely difficult for individuals to both completely stop and reduce the amount of alcohol they intake on a regular basis, leading to multiple failed attempts to quit.
• Continuing your drinking habit despite experiencing negative effects: There are numerous severe cases of alcohol use disorders that cause individuals to continue their harmful habit despite the worsening negative consequences on both their physical and mental health as well as their social and professional lives. Some of the most common negative consequences include alienation from friends and family, arrest, arrest, and job loss.
• Struggling with blackouts: Individuals struggling with alcohol use disorder can often experience blackouts both as a consequence of prolonged alcohol abuse as well as a direct result of their excessive intake of alcohol on individual occasions. Blackouts often leave consequences such as memory loss.
• Indulging in alcohol during hazardous situations: Another negative aspect of AUDs is the tendency of individuals who are struggling with regulating their alcohol intake to drink in different hazardous situations, for example while operating dangerous machinery or while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
• Continually placing drinking above other responsibilities: Individuals struggling with alcohol dependence often prioritize their drinking habit above any other obligation, for example school, work, and familial responsibilities, leading to various detrimental effects of their professional and personal lives. This is why it’s important to recognize your problem as soon as possible by taking an alcohol abuse self-assessment test.
• Drinking in an attempt to alleviate stress and relax: People with alcohol dependency often resort to drinking in an attempt to relax themselves during stressful times in their lives which lead to a feeling of inability to alleviate stress without using alcohol.
• Using large amounts of alcohol over extended periods of time: Finally, the most common sign of the presence of alcohol use disorder is the act of drinking larger amounts of alcohol more and more frequently as time passess without the ability to reduce or stop with the intake.

Among other symptoms of AUD are various physical psychological effects, for example rapid heartbeat, sweating, depression, anxiety, and many others. The only way to determine some of these symptoms is by undergoing a detailed physical and psychological assessment by a medical professional who will help you determine the presence and the extent of the negative effects of your alcohol abuse.⁵

What’s more, severe cases of AUD can lead to serious and life-threatening consequences. There are types of cancer which more frequently develop in individuals who actively drink alcohol. There are also common instances of excessive alcohol use leading to liver diseases, including fatty liver and cirrhosis. Finally, alcohol abuse can lead to brain damage both in adult individuals as well as in unborn children of pregnant women who abuse alcohol.⁵

What Are Different Alcohol Abuse Assessment Tests?

There are many different forms of alcohol assessment tests which are available online. Among these tests, there are those designed to offer a generalized overview of an individual’s drinking habits as well as in-depth tests designed to help individuals clearly identify the presence or the absence of alcohol abuse disorders. Among the most widespread alcohol abuse self-assessment tests are CAGE, MAST, and AUDIT tests.²

What Is the CAGE Alcohol Assessment Test?

CAGE, or Cut Down Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener test, represents a fast, easy, and efficient way to determine whether an individual is struggling with alcohol abuse. This alcohol assessment test can be implemented by counselors, educators, and healthcare professionals when identifying if an individual might be at risk of developing an AUD.²

This alcohol self-assessment test is a 4-question survey applied when screening individuals for alcohol addiction. The questions present in the CAGE test are:²

• Do you feel like you should reduce your drinking?
• Do people who criticize your drinking habits annoy you?
• Do you experience guilt because of your drinking?
• Do you have a drink in the morning when you’re feeling hungover or stressed?

Answering “yes” to any of the aforementioned alcohol abuse assessment questions indicates that you might be struggling with an alcohol abuse disorder and that you should seek assistance and further evaluation by a professional.²

What Is the MAST Alcohol Assessment Test?

MAST, or Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, represents an alcohol self-assessment test used for helping individuals identify issues with alcohol abuse. This test is composed of twenty-five questions, requiring approximately 5 minutes to take, and aimed at individuals who are either concerned with their own drinking or with the drinking habits of their friends, family, and loved ones.⁶

This assessment test for alcohol addiction features three separate sections: one with questions regarding your habit for drinking alcohol; one for questions regarding the negative consequences of your alcohol use; and one for questions regarding the attitude you have toward drinking alcohol. The results of the test are on a scale from zero to twenty-five, and the score of six and higher indicates the presence of an alcohol problem, advising you to seek professional help with overcoming your addiction.⁶

What Is the AUDIT Alcohol Assessment Test?

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, or AUDIT, is an alcohol assessment test aimed at determining whether or not an individual is struggling with an AUD. The test has ten questions, requiring a few minutes to finalize. This test is suitable for individuals who are unable to decide if they should see a medical professional and seek assistance with their reducing and stopping their alcohol intake.²

The scoring of this test counts the number of affirmative answers to the questions in this alcohol assessment questionnaire. If an individual scores eight or higher, that’s a strong indication of them struggling with alcohol abuse. In case an individual scores between four and five, their case is “borderline”, meaning they might be at risk of developing a problem with alcohol in the near future. Finally, lower scores indicate that the individual might not be struggling with an AUD.²

If you’re unsure about the excess of your drinking habits, taking the AUDIT alcohol self-assessment test is a good initial step toward discovering if you need professional assistance for your alcohol use. However, remember that such a test is a screening tool and not the means of diagnosing your potential AUD. To truly diagnose your alcohol abuse disorder, you need to get in touch with a professional.²

Do I Have an Alcohol Abuse Disorder? Begin the Test Now

If your loved one of you provides a positive answer to three or more of the questions listed in the alcohol self-assessment below, you might be struggling with an AUD:^{7, 8}

• Have you been detained or arrested for problematic behavior while under the influence of alcohol?
• Have you been detained or arrested for DUI?
• Have you been hospitalized or placed in a psychiatric ward due to your problematic behavior while under the influence of alcohol?
• Do you continue your alcohol intake even after experiencing negative psychological and physical manifestations?
• Have you experienced strong withdrawal symptoms when you attempted to reduce your alcohol intake in the form of auditory and visual hallucinations, shaking, and tremors?
• Have you been diagnosed with different liver issues, such as cirrhosis?
• Do you indulge in drinking before noon?
• Do you cancel professional and social engagements due to alcohol use?
• Have you neglected your school, work, and social responsibilities because of your drinking?
• Have you been in trouble at work because of your alcohol use?
• Have you lost a romantic interest or partner due to drinking?
• Have you experienced issues in relationships with romantic partners, friends, and family as a result of drinking?
• Are you violent or aggressive when drinking?
• Do you spend time recovering from and using alcohol?
• Do you require increasing alcohol intake to experience the same effects as in the beginning of your habit development?
• Do you experience difficulties remembering past events after waking up from a day of heavy drinking?
• Do you experience guilt concerning your drinking and subsequent negative behavior?

What Is the Right Alcoholism Quiz for Me?

It’s difficult to determine which alcohol assessment or self-assessment test is suitable for each individual, as the severity and the consequences of alcohol addiction vary from one person to the next. The majority of available tests, including CAGE, MAST, and AUDIT will serve as an excellent starting point in determining whether or not you are struggling with an AUD.

What is important is taking the time to complete any of the aforementioned alcohol assessment questionnaires and establishing the potential for the development or presence of an alcohol abuse disorder. From there, it’s important to seek professional assistance in assessing the severity of your addiction and taking the next steps in overcoming your drinking habit and leading a healthier and happier life.

What Are the Steps After Performing an Alcohol Abuse Self-Assessment Quiz?

Depending on how severe your alcohol addiction is after completing a self-assessment test, there are several available treatment options you can pursue in order to help yourself overcome your addiction:⁹

• Medical detox: The first step in overcoming your alcohol addiction is undergoing medical detox which can last anywhere from two days to a week and longer.
• Inpatient rehab: This is a program suitable for the most severe cases of AUD and requires the individual to remain at the facility until successfully overcoming their alcohol abuse disorder.
• Outpatient rehab: This type of program is mostly suitable for less severe cases of AUD and it doesn’t require an individual to remain at the premises of a rehab facility for the duration of their treatment. 
• Counseling and psychotherapy: This is an integral part of all addiction recovery programs and it provides mental health assistance and helps patients deal with the psychological consequences of their addiction.
• Support groups: Finally, support groups are featured in both outpatient and inpatient programs and are open for attending upon successful program completion for long-term assistance in attaining and retaining sobriety.

Also, you can reach out to one of the nationwide providers of evidence-based alcohol addiction treatment and rehab such as American Addiction Centers, or AAC. Their 24/7 hotline is available for all individuals looking to ascertain whether or not they suffer from alcohol use disorder, as well as to those people looking for assistance in overcoming their AUD.

AAC operates a wide network of reputable rehab and treatment centers across the nation offering a diverse selection of specialized programs suited to the varying needs of individuals looking to overcome their AUD. They’ll help you determine the root cause of your problem, treat the essence, not just the symptoms, and be there for you until you achieve sobriety.

What’s more, they’ll offer guidance during every step of the process, from establishing the severity of your AUD and kickstarting your rehab to helping you find the best way to pay for your treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions