AUDIT-C Alcohol Use Self-Check

About the AUDIT-C

The AUDIT-C is the 3-question consumption subset of the World Health Organization’s 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, validated by Bush and colleagues for routine screening. It asks about drinking frequency, typical quantity, and heavy-episode frequency over the past year. Scores of 3+ (women) or 4+ (men) suggest a pattern worth discussing with a professional; higher scores suggest greater risk.

How scores are interpreted

Score	What it suggests
0–2	Lower-Risk Pattern
3–5	At or Above Screening Threshold
6–12	High-Risk Pattern

Source & license: Bush, K., Kivlahan, D. R., McDonell, M. B., Fihn, S. D., & Bradley, K. A. (1998). The AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C): An effective brief screening test for problem drinking. Archives of Internal Medicine, 158(16), 1789–1795. The AUDIT was developed by the World Health Organization and is freely available for clinical and research use.

When to seek professional help

If alcohol is affecting your health, relationships, work, mood, or sleep — or if cutting down has been harder than expected — a confidential conversation with a professional is a strong next step. If your screening results suggest you may benefit from professional support, our licensed therapists serve clients in person in Bentonville and via telehealth throughout Arkansas. Call (479) 259-1390 or book a free 15-minute consultation.

What this screener actually measures

The questions you just answered are the AUDIT-C — the three "consumption" items drawn from the World Health Organization's longer 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Rather than asking whether you have a "problem," the AUDIT-C asks three plain questions about behavior over the past year: how often you have a drink containing alcohol, how many drinks you have on a typical drinking day, and how often you have a larger number of drinks (a heavy-drinking episode) on one occasion. The point is to describe a pattern, not to label a person.

Because the tool counts standard drinks, it helps to know what one is. In the United States, one standard drink is roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol — about a 12-ounce regular beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. Many real-world pours, especially wine and mixed drinks, are larger than a single standard drink, so it is common for people to undercount. The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) explains standard-drink sizes and lower-risk drinking guidance at niaaa.nih.gov. There is no judgment built into the screen — it simply gives you and a clinician a shared starting point for an honest conversation.

A few things the AUDIT-C deliberately does not measure: it does not assess physical dependence or withdrawal, it does not capture the impact of drinking on your mood, sleep, relationships, or work, and it does not account for the context in your life right now. Those pieces matter a great deal, and they are exactly what a conversation with a licensed clinician is designed to explore.

How to understand your results

Your number is a screening result, not a diagnosis. A screen is an intentionally brief, sensitive snapshot — it is built to flag patterns worth a closer look, which means it can point toward "worth discussing" without telling you anything definitive about your health. Only a licensed clinician, after a full conversation about your history, body, mood, and circumstances, can determine whether a formal diagnosis such as alcohol use disorder applies. Two people can reach the same AUDIT-C score for very different reasons, and the meaning only becomes clear in context.

It is also worth remembering that screening cut-points are calibrated to catch as many at-risk patterns as possible, which means a higher score does not automatically mean something is "wrong" — and a lower score does not guarantee that alcohol is not affecting your life. If your drinking concerns you, that concern is a valid reason to talk with someone, no matter what number appeared on your screen. A result you did not expect is information, not a verdict. Sitting with it for a moment, and then choosing one small next step, is a healthy response.

One safety note specific to alcohol: if you currently drink heavily and regularly, please do not stop abruptly on your own. Sudden cessation after sustained heavy drinking can carry medical risk, so any plan to cut down or stop should be discussed with your primary care provider or another medical professional first. As a therapy practice, we do not provide medical detox or prescribe medication; when medical support or medication might help, we coordinate with your primary care provider or a prescriber while we focus on the psychological and behavioral side of change.

What to do next

If anything in your results gave you pause, a calm, confidential conversation is a strong and very ordinary next step — most people who change their relationship with alcohol begin not at "rock bottom" but with a simple decision to talk to someone. At ZipHealthy, our licensed clinicians offer nonjudgmental, evidence-informed counseling for the full range of relationships with alcohol, from "I want to cut back" to "I want to stop." We work from a harm-reduction-friendly stance, meaning your goals lead the work — whether that is moderation, a period of abstinence, or simply understanding your patterns better before deciding.

A good starting place is a free 15-minute consultation, where you can ask questions, describe what you are noticing, and decide whether working together feels like a fit — with no pressure and no commitment. You can book a free consultation online or call us at (479) 259-1390. We see clients in person in downtown Bentonville and provide secure telehealth across Arkansas, so you can meet wherever you are most comfortable.

It can help to know what the work looks like before you reach out. Much of the change happens in individual therapy, where you and your therapist look at triggers, coping skills, and the role alcohol has been playing in your life. Some clients also find structure and connection in a group setting, and others build practical skills for managing urges and strong emotions through our DBT skills group. Group participation always includes clear confidentiality and group-norm agreements, so what is shared in the room stays in the room. If cost or insurance is on your mind, our pricing and what-to-expect page and the Good Faith Estimate explain fees up front so there are no surprises.

Because alcohol use, mood, and stress often travel together, you may also find it useful to check in on related areas. Our brief depression screening (PHQ-9) and anxiety screening (GAD-7) take only a few minutes each, and our pages on depression therapy in Northwest Arkansas and anxiety treatment in Bentonville describe how counseling can help. When drinking has been tied to past trauma, EMDR therapy is one approach we offer, and you can always browse the full range of behavioral health services to see what fits.

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