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AUDIT Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

The WHO AUDIT is a 10-item alcohol screen scored 0–40. Scores of 8 or more indicate hazardous or harmful drinking; WHO risk zones are 0–7 (low risk), 8–15 (simple advice), 16–19 (brief counselling and monitoring) and 20–40 (referral for diagnostic evaluation and treatment).

How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?: Never (0); Monthly or less (1); 2–4 times a month (2); 2–3 times a week (3); 4 or more times a week (4)
How many standard drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?: 1 or 2 (0); 3 or 4 (1); 5 or 6 (2); 7 to 9 (3); 10 or more (4)
How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
How often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because of drinking?: Never (0); Less than monthly (1); Monthly (2); Weekly (3); Daily or almost daily (4)
Have you or someone else been injured as a result of your drinking?: No (0); Yes, but not in the last year (2); Yes, during the last year (4)
Has a relative, friend, doctor or other health worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested you cut down?: No (0); Yes, but not in the last year (2); Yes, during the last year (4)

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Interpretation

Result	Meaning
0–7	Zone I: low risk
8–15	Zone II: hazardous; simple advice
16–19	Zone III: harmful; brief counselling + monitoring
20–40	Zone IV: possible dependence; specialist referral

Formula

Q1–8 scored 0–4; Q9–10 scored 0, 2 or 4. Total 0–40. Positive screen ≥8.

Clinical pearls

Points on Q4–6 suggest dependence, and points on Q7–10 suggest alcohol-related harm, even when the total is low.
Some guidance uses a lower threshold (≥7) for women and people over 65.

Examples

audit score items 4 2 3 2 1 1 2 1 0 2 full AUDIT: drinks 4+ times a week, 5-6 drinks, weekly binges, monthly unable to stop, never morning drinks, injured last year who audit all items zero

FAQ

What AUDIT score means alcohol use disorder?

A score of 8 or more indicates hazardous or harmful drinking. Scores of 20 or more suggest possible alcohol dependence and warrant specialist evaluation.

What is the difference between AUDIT and AUDIT-C?

AUDIT-C is the first 3 consumption questions of the 10-item AUDIT; it is quicker but does not assess dependence or harm.

Evidence

Psychiatry & Substance Use · Reviewed 2026-10-14 · Methodology