DrinkFewer

AUDIT-C alcohol check

AUDIT-C is the first three questions of the World Health Organization's AUDIT. Each answer scores 0 to 4, for a total out of 12. A score of 4 or more for men, or 3 or more for women, is the usual sign to take a closer look at your drinking. It takes about a minute.

  • Free
  • No account
  • Stays on your device
0 of 4 answered
1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
2. How many standard drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when drinking?

The WHO version counts a standard drink as 10 g of alcohol; a typical US drink is 14 g. Not sure what yours holds? The standard drink calculator shows it.

3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?
4. Your sex

Only used to pick the cutoff: 4 for men, 3 for women. “Prefer not to say” uses 3, the more careful of the two (our choice, not part of the AUDIT).

Answer all four to see your score.

AUDIT © World Health Organization. Used unchanged; in the public domain as a WHO-approved instrument (auditscreen.org).

How the score works

Add up the points for your three answers: the first answer in each list is 0, the last is 4.

GroupScreens positive at
Men4 or more
Women3 or more
Prefer not to say (our choice)3 or more

These cutoffs come from a 2007 study of 392 men and 927 women at a family practice clinic. Their answers were checked against full interviews, and the thresholds above were the ones that best balanced finding people drinking above recommended limits (or with an alcohol use disorder) against flagging people who were not.

What AUDIT-C can and can't tell you

  • The AUDIT is not a diagnostic instrument: a diagnosis needs a full diagnostic interview or a trained specialist.
  • It asks only how often and how much you drink. The full AUDIT adds seven questions about the effects of drinking.
  • In the WHO version of the AUDIT a standard drink contains 10 g of alcohol; a typical US drink contains 14 g. So the same score can mean a little more alcohol for someone counting US drinks.

Whatever your score, you can compare your week with national guidelines or track some alcohol-free days.

Questions people ask

What is a normal AUDIT-C score?

There is no "normal", but there are cutoffs. In the primary care study most often used, the thresholds that best balanced catching drinking above recommended limits against false alarms were 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women.

Does a high AUDIT-C score mean I have a drinking problem?

Not on its own. AUDIT-C is a screening check: it asks only how often and how much you drink. A positive score is a reason to look more closely, with the full AUDIT or a doctor. It is not a diagnosis.

Why does the question count six drinks on one occasion?

The questions are used word for word from the WHO AUDIT, which counts a standard drink as 10 g of alcohol. A typical US drink is 14 g, so six WHO drinks hold less alcohol than six US drinks.

Is the AUDIT-C free to use?

Yes. The AUDIT is a WHO-approved instrument in the public domain. No permission is needed for non-commercial use, and nobody completing it may be charged a fee. This page will always be free.

When to get help

This site offers self-help tools and information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor, or call one of the lines below, if:

  • you feel shaky, sweaty, sick or anxious when you haven't had a drink;
  • you find it hard to stop once you start, or you want to cut down and can't;
  • drinking is causing problems with your health, work or the people close to you.

Before you stop: It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you are dependent on alcohol. If you get withdrawal symptoms, get medical help before you try to stop drinking.

Free, confidential helplines

  • United States:SAMHSA National Helpline1-800-662-HELP (4357)Treatment referral and information, 24/7.
  • United States:988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988Free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7.
  • United Kingdom:Drinkline0300 123 1110The national alcohol helpline, free and in complete confidence. Weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm.

In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Sources

  1. Check your drinking: an interactive self-test. auditscreen.org. auditscreen.org
  2. AUDIT FAQs. auditscreen.org. auditscreen.org
  3. Bradley KA, DeBenedetti AF, Volk RJ, Williams EC, Frank D, Kivlahan DR (2007). AUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. PMID 17451397
  4. Higgins-Biddle JC, Babor TF (2018). A Review of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), AUDIT-C, and USAUDIT for Screening in the United States: Past Issues and Future Directions. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. PMC6217805
  5. Alcohol-use disorder. NHS. nhs.uk
  6. Alcohol support. NHS. nhs.uk
  7. FindTreatment.gov (help resources). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). findtreatment.gov

Page last reviewed 2026-10-03.