Approaches to Identify the Marks of Alcohol Abuse
There are a number of tests and tools used to identify possible alcoholism symptoms. Many of these tools are self-administered or professionally administered questionnaires. These are designed to help the alcohol abuser identify his or her own symptoms of addiction.
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There are five major tests used by addiction counselors and alcohol abuse programs. These include the CAGE questionnaire, the Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Paddington Alcohol Test. To learn more about each one, keep reading.
The CAGE Questionnaire
The CAGE Questionnaire is an acronym based on the four simple questions that it uses. It is a popular test because it's simple and often takes seconds to administer. To identify or diagnose addiction, a respondent must answer "yes" to two of the following questions. Have you ever thought you should cut down on drinking? Have your family and friends ever addressed or criticized your drinking? Do you feel guilty about your drinking? Do you ever need a drink to start your day or to alleviate a hangover?
The person is then initially diagnosed with alcoholism if answering "yes" to two or more of the above questions. It's designed specifically for alcoholism and not intended to be used to identify other drug dependencies.
The ADDQ (Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire)
The ADDQ not only attempts to identify alcohol dependence, but also determine the severity of that dependence. It's a little more comprehensive than other tests and typically takes a few minutes to administer.
The ADDQ is used mostly throughout Europe and the UK, but it's also utilized in some areas of the United States. It consists of 15 questions and actually gives respondents a score on a scale of 0 to 45. A score that comes in higher than 20 typically infers a high level of alcohol dependence.
The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)
The MAST is a popular testing system that's most often used by the legal system. It's typically administered to test whether an individual has an alcohol problem before they are sentenced, charged or convicted of an alcohol-related offense.
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
The AUDIT was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is intended to be used throughout the world. It has been tested and validated in six countries in both independent and WHO-sponsored studies.
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test consists of ten basic questions and covers three sets of issues. These include the respondent's level of alcohol consumption, their dependence on alcohol to function and how alcohol has negatively affected daily life.
The Paddington Alcohol Test
The PAT was created for emergency health workers to use when dealing with someone who had a possibly alcohol-related injury or was in the ER due to hazardous drinking. It's intended to identify alcohol abuse issues so that the patient may be directed to the proper care and resources.
Each of these tests is designed to score a patient based on their alcoholism symptoms. Some are simple and take a few seconds (the CAGE) while others are more complicated (the Michigan). Each has been validated and serves a helpful purpose unique to its design.
