You may have heard about a test called AUDIT 16. Especially if you have accessed formal services in the UK. But what is it? Let's take a look.
The UK AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) is a comprehensive screening tool designed to identify individuals with hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption. It was developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been adapted for use in the UK.
Key Features of the AUDIT Tool
10 Questions: The full AUDIT consists of 10 questions that cover alcohol consumption, drinking behaviour, and alcohol-related problems.
Screening Purpose: It helps in identifying potential alcohol-related issues and is used by healthcare professionals to assess the level of risk.
Adaptation for UK: The tool has been modified to suit the UK context, ensuring relevance to local drinking patterns and healthcare practices.
The test has ten key questions which are scored to evaluate a person's harmful behviour around alcohol. In some instances, the scores are used to allocate types of support within the service using the test.
The AUDIT Questions.
How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking?
How often have you had 6 or more units if female, or 8 or more if male, on a single occasion in the last year?
How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?
How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of your drinking?
How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?
How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?
Have you or somebody else been injured as a result of your drinking?
Has a relative or friend, doctor or other health worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested that you cut down?
These questions are designed to help identify patterns of alcohol consumption that may indicate a risk of alcohol-related problems.
If you'd like to do your own test you can download it here.
Advisory
This link is provided for the purposes of self-information only. If your score suggests you are drinking problematically you should, of course, seek medical advice.