About the AUDIT

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was developed by the World Health Organization in the 1980s and validated across six countries. Ten questions cover how much and how often you drink, signs of dependence, and harms. It is free to use and remains the most widely used alcohol screen in the world.

What is a high AUDIT score?

Eight or more suggests hazardous drinking, 16 or more harmful drinking, and 20 or more a pattern where dependence is possible; each is a cue for a conversation, not a diagnosis.

What is the AUDIT-C?

The first three questions on their own, scored 0 to 12. A score of 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women is the usual screening cutoff.

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, World Health Organization. Free to use. Page reviewed by Michael RoBards, LCSW, September 2026.