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AUDIT-C drinking check

Three questions doctors use to screen for risky drinking. It takes under a minute, and your answers stay in your browser.

One drink means a 12-ounce can of 5% beer, a 5-ounce glass of 12% wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of 40% spirits.3

Question 1: How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
Question 2: How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
Question 3: How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?

Your score

0/3

answered. Your score shows once you've answered all three.

Nothing you choose here is sent or saved.

How it's scored

Each answer scores 0 to 4 points, from the first option to the last, for a total of 0 to 12.1 The three questions are the drinking-amount part of the full 10-question AUDIT.1

The cut-offs here come from a study of 392 men and 927 women at a family practice clinic. A score of 4 or more in men and 3 or more in women did the best job of separating people with risky drinking or an alcohol use disorder from people without.2 When you don't give your sex, the tool uses the lower cut-off.

What it can't tell you

The AUDIT-C only asks about amount and frequency. It doesn't ask whether drinking is causing problems in your life, which is what an alcohol use disorder diagnosis is about. For that, try the alcohol use disorder checklist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the AUDIT-C?

The first three questions of the AUDIT, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test that the World Health Organization developed for primary care. They ask how often you drink, how much, and how often you have six or more drinks at once.1

What is a good AUDIT-C score?

Scores run from 0 to 12. In a study of 392 men and 927 women in primary care, the cut-offs that best picked out risky drinking or an alcohol use disorder were 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women.2

What counts as one drink?

In the US, a standard drink has about 14 grams of pure alcohol: a 12-ounce can of 5% beer, a 5-ounce glass of 12% wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of 40% spirits.3

Related guides

Crisis and emergency contacts

  • Emergency: call 911 or your local emergency number.
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 — free, confidential, 24/7 (988lifeline.org).
  • SAMHSA's National Helpline: free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information, in English and Spanish — 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (samhsa.gov).
  • Stopping drinking: after frequent drinking, stopping can cause alcohol withdrawal, which can become life-threatening. Talk to a clinician before you stop (MedlinePlus).

References

3 sources, numbered in the order they are first cited (AMA style). Each is labelled by type so you can weigh it; commercial and media sources are never the only support for a clinical claim.

  1. 1.Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG. AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Guidelines for Use in Primary Health Care. 2nd ed. World Health Organization; 2001. Accessed October 17, 2026. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MSD-MSB-01.6aClinical guideline
  2. 2.Bradley KA, DeBenedetti AF, Volk RJ, Williams EC, Frank D, Kivlahan DR. AUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007;31(7):1208-1217. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00403.xResearch study
  3. 3.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. What is a standard drink? Accessed October 17, 2026. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drinkGovernment source

Medical disclaimer

This page is for information only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Don't start, stop, or change any medicine — including naltrexone — without your prescriber. Naltrexone must not be used by people taking opioid pain medicines, people dependent on opioids, or people in opioid withdrawal (FDA label). In an emergency call 911; for crisis support call or text 988. Full medical disclaimer.