Medical Health Encyclopedia

CAGE Test. The CAGE test is an acronym for the following questions and is the quickest test:

• Attempts to CUT (C) down on drinking
• ANNOYANCE (A) with criticisms about drinking
• GUILT (G) about drinking
• Use of alcohol as an EYE-OPENER (E) in the morning

This test and another called the Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test (SAAST) appear to be most useful in detecting possible alcoholism in white, middle-aged males. They are not very accurate for identifying alcohol abuse in older people, white women, and African and Mexican Americans.

T-ACE Test. The T-ACE test is a four-question test that appears to be quite accurate in identifying alcoholism in both men and women. It asks the following questions:

• Does it TAKE (T) more than three drinks to make you feel high?
• Have you ever been ANNOYED (A) by people's criticism of your drinking?
• Are you trying to CUT DOWN (C) on drinking?
• Have you ever used alcohol as an EYE OPENER (E) in the morning?

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A positive response to two of these four questions is considered to indicate possible alcohol abuse or dependence.

AUDIT Test. A more effective and important test for most people may be the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which is the only test specifically designed to identify hazardous or harmful drinking. It asks three questions about amount and frequency of drinking, three questions about alcohol dependence, and four questions about problems related to alcohol consumption.

A Single-Question. One simple question may be as sensitive as the CAGE or AUDIT: "When was the last time you had more than five drinks (for men) or four drinks (for women) in one day?" An answer of "within three months" accurately identified about half of people who were problem drinkers. Problem drinking is defined as hazardous drinking within the last month or some alcohol-use disorder during the past year.