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CAGE Questionnaire for Alcohol Use

CAGE asks four yes/no questions about Cutting down, Annoyance at criticism, Guilt and Eye-openers. Two or more "yes" answers are clinically significant for alcohol use disorder; one "yes" warrants further questioning.

Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking? (yes/no, +1)
Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? (yes/no, +1)
Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking? (yes/no, +1)
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover? (yes/no, +1)

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Interpretation

Result	Meaning
0	Negative
1	Possible problem; explore
≥ 2	Clinically significant

Formula

One point per "yes": Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener. Range 0–4; ≥2 positive.

Clinical pearls

CAGE asks about lifetime problems and misses at-risk drinking without dependence; AUDIT-C is better for detecting hazardous use.
An eye-opener alone is a strong signal of physical dependence.

Examples

cage questionnaire: wants to cut down and feels guilty, no eye opener, not annoyed CAGE 2 of 4 positive cut down and eye opener cage score all yes

FAQ

What is a positive CAGE score?

Two or more "yes" answers out of four is considered clinically significant for alcohol use disorder.

Is CAGE still recommended?

It is quick and useful for dependence, but guidelines now prefer AUDIT-C or AUDIT for primary care screening because they also detect hazardous drinking.

Evidence

Ewing JA. Detecting alcoholism. The CAGE questionnaire. JAMA 1984;252:1905–7.

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