About the AUDIT-C Alcohol Screen
The AUDIT-C is a short, three-question alcohol-use screen taken from the consumption items of the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Each question is scored from 0 to 4, and the three answers are added together for a total between 0 and 12. A higher total reflects a drinking pattern more likely to be hazardous or harmful. It is a screening aid, not a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder.
The three questions and how they score
- Frequency (Q1): how often you have any drink containing alcohol — Never (0), Monthly or less (1), 2 to 4 times a month (2), 2 to 3 times a week (3), 4 or more times a week (4).
- Typical quantity (Q2): how many standard drinks you have on a typical drinking day — 1 or 2 (0), 3 or 4 (1), 5 or 6 (2), 7 to 9 (3), 10 or more (4).
- Heavy episodes (Q3): how often you have six or more drinks on one occasion — Never (0), Less than monthly (1), Monthly (2), Weekly (3), Daily or almost daily (4).
A US standard drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol — roughly a 12 oz beer at 5% ABV, a 5 oz glass of wine at 12%, or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits at 40%. Counting drinks in these units keeps the quantity questions comparable across beverage types.
Reading your score
The standard positive-screen cutoff is a total of 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women. A positive result does not confirm an alcohol problem; it flags a pattern worth discussing. As the total rises the concern grows: mid-range totals point toward hazardous or harmful drinking, and totals of 8 to 12 fall in the range associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol dependence.
When to consult a professional
Treat a positive or high AUDIT-C as a prompt, not a verdict. If your result concerns you, or if you are worried about your drinking or someone else's, talk with a licensed healthcare provider who can take a full history and recommend next steps. This calculator only adds up your answers using the standard AUDIT-C scoring.