Wondering whether your drinking has crossed a line? This free, confidential 10-question test is based on the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), the screening tool developed by the World Health Organization. You’ll get your score and what it means right away.
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Answer based on the past 12 months. Be as honest as you can: nobody sees your answers but you. One “drink” means one US standard drink (see the chart below).
Question 1 of 10
Private by design: your answers stay in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved.
Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points, for a total of 0 to 40. The WHO groups scores into four risk zones:
| Score | Risk zone | What it usually means | Recommended next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 | Zone I: lower risk | Drinking unlikely to be causing harm | Stay informed; re-check if your habits change |
| 8–15 | Zone II: hazardous | Pattern that raises the risk of harm | Cut down; talk to your doctor |
| 16–19 | Zone III: harmful | Drinking likely already causing problems | Professional assessment and counseling |
| 20–40 | Zone IV: possible dependence | Strong indicator of alcohol use disorder | Full evaluation and treatment; medical guidance before quitting |
Where your points come from matters too. Questions 1–3 measure how much and how often you drink. Questions 4–6 point to dependence (losing control, morning drinking). Questions 7–10 measure harm (guilt, blackouts, injuries, other people’s concern). Points on questions 4–6, even with a moderate total, are worth discussing with a professional.
The standard cutoff for hazardous drinking is 8. Some clinicians use a lower cutoff of 7 for women and adults over 65, because the same amount of alcohol tends to affect them more.
Most people underestimate how much they drink because pours at home and at bars are bigger than a standard drink. In the US, one standard drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol:
| Drink | One standard drink | Common real-world pour |
|---|---|---|
| Regular beer (~5%) | 12 oz | A 16 oz pint ≈ 1.3 drinks; a 16 oz IPA (7%+) ≈ 2 |
| Malt liquor / hard seltzer (~7–8%) | 8–9 oz | A 24 oz can ≈ 3 drinks |
| Wine (~12%) | 5 oz | A bottle ≈ 5 drinks; a generous glass ≈ 1.5–2 |
| Liquor (80 proof, 40%) | 1.5 oz (one shot) | A mixed drink or cocktail often holds 2–3 shots |
If you count your bottles or glasses rather than standard drinks, your real score may be higher than you think.
Clinicians diagnose alcohol use disorder (AUD) using 11 criteria from the DSM-5. In the past year, have you:
2–3 symptoms indicates mild AUD, 4–5 moderate, and 6 or more severe. Even mild AUD tends to progress without help, and it responds well to treatment.
Many people with alcohol use disorder keep their jobs, pay their bills and show up for their families. That’s why the AUDIT asks about control and consequences, not whether your life has fallen apart. Common signs of high-functioning alcohol use include:
Being “functional” usually means the consequences haven’t caught up yet. Outpatient treatment is built for exactly this stage: our outpatient program and IOP schedules let you keep working while you get help.
Zoe is an outpatient program. If you need detox, we coordinate medically supervised detox through a trusted partner facility and then bring you into our program, so you’re never left to figure out the next step alone. See how detox works at Zoe.
Your drinking looks lower-risk right now. Re-take the test if your habits change, and keep an eye on the signs above.
Try cutting down. Set a limit before you start drinking, track your drinks for a few weeks, and plan alcohol-free days. Mention your score to your doctor. If cutting back is harder than you expected, that’s useful information, and it’s a good reason to call.
A professional assessment is the right next step. Many people at this level do well in outpatient treatment, combining individual therapy, group therapy and, when it fits, medication such as naltrexone to reduce cravings.
Reach out for a full evaluation, and don’t quit abruptly on your own if you drink every day. Our admissions team answers 24/7, and a staff physician can assess you by phone to recommend the right level of care, starting with detox if you need it.
Worried about drugs as well as alcohol? Take our drug addiction test too.
Zoe Behavioral Health is a Joint Commission–accredited outpatient addiction treatment center in Lake Forest, licensed by the California DHCS (#300413AP). Our alcohol rehab program includes:
Care is overseen by Medical Director Dr. Naficy, a board-certified family physician with 25+ years of experience, and Clinical Director Clint Kreider, MS.
The AUDIT is one of the most widely validated alcohol screening tools in the world. The World Health Organization developed it and tested it across several countries, and it is used in primary care, emergency rooms and treatment programs. It is very good at flagging hazardous drinking and likely alcohol use disorder. It is still a screening, not a diagnosis: only a clinician can diagnose alcohol use disorder after a full assessment.
There is no single number. Alcohol use disorder is defined by loss of control and consequences, not just quantity. As a reference point, the CDC defines heavy drinking as 15 or more drinks a week for men and 8 or more for women, and binge drinking as 5 or more drinks on one occasion for men and 4 or more for women. Regularly drinking at those levels raises your risk, and many people who meet them also meet criteria for alcohol use disorder.
Yes. Weekend-only drinking can still be alcohol use disorder if you drink more than you planned, keep drinking despite problems, black out, or feel unable to cut back. Binge drinking on weekends is also one of the patterns the AUDIT is designed to pick up (questions 3 and 8).
For light or occasional drinkers, usually yes. If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can trigger alcohol withdrawal, which can include seizures and delirium tremens and can be fatal. Talk to a doctor before you quit. Zoe arranges medically supervised detox through partner facilities, then continues care in our outpatient program.
“Alcoholism” is an everyday term, not a diagnosis. Clinicians use “alcohol use disorder” (AUD), defined in the DSM-5 by 11 criteria. Meeting 2–3 criteria in a year indicates mild AUD, 4–5 moderate, and 6 or more severe. The DSM-5 replaced the older separate labels “alcohol abuse” and “alcohol dependence.”
Often, yes. Under the Affordable Care Act, substance use disorder services are an essential health benefit for individual and small-group plans, and federal parity law requires many plans to cover addiction treatment on terms comparable to medical care. Benefits vary by plan, so Zoe verifies your coverage for free before you start.
Yes. The test runs entirely in your browser. Your answers and score are not sent to us or saved anywhere. If you choose to call, the conversation is confidential and protected under HIPAA and federal confidentiality rules for addiction treatment records.
Talking to someone doesn’t commit you to anything. Call for a confidential conversation, a free insurance check and a phone assessment with a staff physician. Admissions answers 24/7.
