Use the original three AUDIT-C questions to screen for unhealthy alcohol use over the past year.

  • Answer based on your usual pattern across the last 12 months.
  • If Question 1 is Never, Questions 2 and 3 are recorded as 0 automatically.
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Higher- and lower-scored items
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Reference bands:
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The active band follows the current AUDIT-C total across the common reference lines.
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Tags: Diagnostics, Psychology, Psychometrics
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Brief alcohol screening is meant to catch a drinking pattern early, before the conversation depends on an emergency visit, a lab result, an injury, or someone else noticing a problem first. A short screen cannot describe every reason alcohol may be risky, but it can turn a vague concern into a consistent score that is easier to review with a clinician, counselor, or trusted support person.

AUDIT-C is the three-question consumption subset of the World Health Organization AUDIT questionnaire. It asks how often alcohol was used, how many drinks were typical on drinking days, and how often heavy single occasions occurred during the past year. Those three answers cover the main pattern signals that a brief screen can capture: frequency, usual quantity, and episodic heavy drinking.

The score is useful because drinking patterns can look similar in casual conversation while carrying different risks. Someone who drinks small amounts often may have the same total as someone who drinks less often but has repeated six-or-more-drink occasions. The total score gives a starting point, and the item pattern explains why the total landed there.

Concept Plain meaning Why it matters
Standard drinkA comparable amount of pure alcohol, not necessarily one glass, bottle, or pour.Large pours and high-strength drinks can understate the real quantity if they are counted as single drinks.
Heavy occasionA drinking occasion that crosses the questionnaire's heavy-use threshold.Occasional high-volume drinking can create safety risk even when weekly frequency sounds low.
Reference lineA cutoff used by a program or guideline to decide when follow-up is likely useful.Different settings may use different cutoffs, so the same score can be discussed against more than one line.
Positive screenA score that suggests the need for follow-up review.It is not a diagnosis and should not be treated as proof of alcohol use disorder by itself.
AUDIT-C frequency, typical-drink, and six-plus occasion answers flowing into a 0 to 12 score with reference lines.

Context changes how a score should be handled. Alcohol may matter more when someone is pregnant or trying to become pregnant, takes medicines that interact with alcohol, has liver disease, has sleep or mood symptoms, drives or operates equipment after drinking, or has tried to cut down and found it difficult. Lower scores do not erase those concerns, and higher scores should lead to more detailed assessment rather than a label.

The most common mistake is treating a cutoff as a personal safety boundary. AUDIT-C cutoffs are screening rules chosen for a setting, not guarantees that drinking below the line is harmless or that drinking above the line proves dependence. The score is strongest when it is read with the answer pattern and the real-life consequences around it.

How to Use This Tool:

Answer the three AUDIT-C questions for the past year. Use U.S. standard drinks when estimating quantity, and keep the same drink definition across the usual-quantity and heavy-occasion questions.

  1. Select Start AUDIT-C questions and answer the drinking-frequency question first.
  2. If the first answer is Never, the remaining two items are recorded as zero automatically.
  3. For the usual-quantity item, count standard drinks rather than containers, glass sizes, bottles, or informal pours.
  4. For the heavy-occasion item, use the six-or-more-drinks wording shown in the questionnaire unless a clinician has asked you to use a different version.
  5. Review the summary for the total score, overall lane, number of reference cues met, and strongest item area.
  6. Use Score lane, Reference bands, and Answer review to check whether the total and item pattern match what you intended to enter.
  7. Copy or export results only after checking the answer table, because result links and files can reveal sensitive alcohol-use information.

If the result is not shown, return to the question list and make sure every item has a valid answer. If Question 1 was marked Never by mistake, correct that answer before reviewing the score.

Interpreting Results:

Start with the total, then read the pattern behind it. A score raised mainly by frequent drinking can call for a different conversation than the same total raised by repeated six-or-more-drink occasions. The strongest item area helps prevent the total from hiding that difference.

  • 0: no past-year alcohol use was reported in this three-item screen.
  • 1 to 2: below the common 3+ and 4+ positive-screen reference lines, but still worth reviewing if alcohol affects health, safety, sleep, medicines, pregnancy, or personal goals.
  • 3: reaches a common lower positive-screen line often used for women and some screening programs.
  • 4: reaches a common higher positive-screen line often used for men and many clinical screens.
  • 5 to 7: reaches the VA/DoD 5+ follow-up line shown in the reference bands.
  • 8 to 12: falls in the high-end range where fuller alcohol assessment is especially important.

A positive screen should prompt follow-up, not self-diagnosis. AUDIT-C measures recent consumption pattern only. It does not ask about withdrawal, craving, loss of control, injury, blackouts, memory gaps, legal problems, guilt, or concern from other people.

A useful summary combines the total, the reference context, and the main driver, such as "AUDIT-C 5, meets the 5+ line, strongest area is usual quantity" or "AUDIT-C 4, common 4+ line met, strongest area is six-plus occasions."

Technical Details:

AUDIT-C uses ordinal response scores. Each of the three questions contributes 0 to 4 points, and the total ranges from 0 to 12. The items are not weighted differently, and there are no reverse-scored responses. A higher total generally means a greater chance that alcohol is affecting health or safety, but the score remains a screening result.

The first question also acts as a gate for non-use. When past-year drinking frequency is Never, the consumption questions that depend on drinking days are scored as zero. That prevents impossible response patterns such as no drinking frequency combined with a nonzero usual-drinks answer.

The heavy-occasion wording matters. The original internationally validated AUDIT-C item uses six or more drinks on one occasion. Some U.S. adaptations use sex- or age-specific heavy-drinking thresholds, including lower thresholds for women and older adults. The score here follows the six-plus wording shown in the questionnaire while still comparing the final total with several common reference lines.

Formula Core

In the equation below, q1 is frequency, q2 is typical drinks, and q3 is six-plus occasions.

AUDIT-C = q1 + q2 + q3 , 0 ≤ AUDIT-C ≤ 12

A response scored 2 for frequency, 1 for typical drinks, and 1 for six-plus occasions gives 4 out of 12. That reaches the common 4+ reference line but stays below the VA/DoD 5+ line.

Item Scoring Core

Item Topic Score range Scoring note
Q1How often alcohol was consumed in the past year0 to 4If Never is selected, Q2 and Q3 are treated as zero.
Q2Typical number of drinks on drinking days0 to 4Use standard drinks so drink strength and serving size do not understate quantity.
Q3Frequency of six-or-more-drink occasions0 to 4Captures episodic heavy drinking that may not be obvious from usual drinking frequency.

Reference Lines

Reference line Score How to read it
Common lower positive-screen line3+Often used as a positive-screen comparison for women and some screening programs.
Common higher positive-screen line4+Often used as a positive-screen comparison for men and many clinical screens.
VA/DoD follow-up line5+Shown for VA/DoD-oriented follow-up workflows and a lower false-positive target.
High-end scoring-card range8 to 12Highlights totals where a fuller alcohol assessment is especially important.

AUDIT-C is intentionally short, so it trades detail for speed. A fuller review may need the 10-item AUDIT, a clinical interview, medication and pregnancy context, lab or liver-health history, safety review, or assessment for alcohol use disorder symptoms.

Responsible Use Note:

AUDIT-C is informational screening, not medical diagnosis or treatment advice. Seek professional guidance promptly for withdrawal symptoms, difficulty cutting down, drinking before driving or hazardous work, alcohol-related injury, pregnancy-related concerns, medication interactions, liver disease, mood crisis, or any result that feels difficult to act on alone. Because the screen has only three consumption items, serious consequences should not wait for a high score.

Scoring runs in the browser. Shared result links, copied rows, CSV files, chart images, and DOCX exports can reveal alcohol-use answers, so share completed results only with people who should see them.

Worked Examples:

No use reported. Question 1 is Never, so the total is 0 and the remaining consumption items are treated as zero. The result records no past-year alcohol use on this screen.

Below common references. Monthly drinking with 1 or 2 standard drinks and no six-plus occasions scores 1. Drinking 2 to 4 times per month with the same quantity and no six-plus occasions scores 2. Both stay below common positive-screen lines, but health context can still matter.

Score of 4 from usual quantity. Drinking 2 to 4 times per month, usually 5 or 6 drinks, and less-than-monthly six-plus occasions can reach 4. That meets the common 4+ reference line while staying below the VA/DoD 5+ line.

Score of 8 from heavy occasions. Weekly drinking with 7 to 9 drinks and weekly six-plus occasions reaches the high-end range. That result should be treated as a cue for fuller assessment, not just another brief screen.

Accidental non-use answer. If Question 1 was marked Never by mistake, Q2 and Q3 will be zeroed. Correct the frequency answer first, then complete the remaining items before interpreting the result.

FAQ:

Does AUDIT-C diagnose alcohol use disorder?

No. It is a brief consumption screen. Diagnosis requires fuller assessment of symptoms, impairment, duration, safety, and medical context.

Why are several cutoffs shown?

AUDIT-C reference lines vary by program and population. Showing several lines makes the score easier to discuss without pretending that one cutoff settles every setting.

Why does the heavy-occasion item say six or more drinks?

The original internationally validated AUDIT-C uses six or more drinks for the third item. Some U.S. adaptations use different thresholds, so follow the wording required by your clinical or program setting when one is specified.

What if I rarely drink but have blackouts, injuries, or withdrawal symptoms?

Use a fuller assessment or professional review. AUDIT-C may miss serious alcohol-related harm when it is rare, symptom-heavy, or tied to safety events rather than frequent drinking.

What counts as a standard drink?

In U.S. materials, a standard drink commonly contains about 14 grams, or 0.6 fluid ounces, of pure alcohol. Local definitions can differ, so use the definition relevant to your setting.

Why does Question 1 change the rest of the score?

Frequency establishes whether the quantity and heavy-occasion questions apply. If no past-year drinking is reported, the current result treats the remaining consumption items as zero.

Glossary:

AUDIT-C
The three-item consumption subset of AUDIT, focused on frequency, usual amount, and heavy-drinking occasions.
Standard drink
A defined amount of pure alcohol used to compare drink types, strengths, and serving sizes.
Reference line
A cutoff used by a screening program or guideline to flag scores for follow-up.
Six-plus occasion
An occasion with six or more drinks, used by the original AUDIT-C heavy-occasion item.
Positive screen
A screening result that suggests follow-up review, not a diagnosis by itself.
High-end range
The 8 to 12 score range highlighted here as needing more detailed assessment.

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