The CAGE questionnaire consists of four questions that relate to your use of alcohol: Have you ever felt that you ought to C ut down on your drinking? Do you get A nnoyed by criticism of your drinking? Do you ever feel G uilty about your drinking?
Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (eye-opener)?
The CAGE questionnaire is simple, non- threatening, brief, and easy to remember. A yes answer to two or more items has a sensi- tivity of 75% to 95% and a specificity of 84% to 97% for alcohol dependence. 9 However, CAGE is less sensitive for identifying non- alcohol-dependent at-risk drinkers.
An estimated 15 million people struggle with an alcohol use disorder in the United States, but less than 10% of them receive treatment. More than 65 million Americans report binge drinking in the past month, which is more than 40% of the total of current alcohol users. Teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year.
The CAGE questionnaire (9) is popular for screening in the primary care setting because it is short, simple, easy to remember, and because it has been proven effective for detecting a range of alcohol problems (see box, below) (10).
High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum. Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick. Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.
CAGE Questions Adapted to Include Drug Use (CAGE-AID)
1. Have you ever felt you ought to cut down on your drinking or drug use?
CAGE questionnaire, a brief and popular screening instrument, is an acronym for four questions: “Have you ever tried to Cut down your drinking; have people Annoyed you about your drinking; have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking; have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get ...
Item responses on the CAGE are scored 0 or 1, with a higher score an indication of alcohol problems. A total score of 2 or greater is considered clinically significant.
The Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (AASE) is a 20- or 40-item questionnaire that measures an individual's self-confidence about his or her ability to avoid drinking.
A study published by the CDC based on data from 138,000 study participants (the largest study of its kind ever published), found that 90% of those who identified themselves as “excessive” or “heavy” drinkers were not alcoholics; i.e., did not meet established criteria for a diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence.
Myth: I don't drink every day OR I only drink wine or beer, so I can't be an alcoholic. Fact: Alcoholism is NOT defined by what you drink, when you drink it, or even how much you drink. It's the EFFECTS of your drinking that define a problem.
Problem drinking is using alcohol in a way that can negatively impact your health and your life, but the body is not physically dependent on the substance. Alcoholism, on the other hand, most likely includes the physical addiction to alcohol in addition to the problems it may cause your health and your life.
NIAAA defines heavy drinking as follows: For men, consuming more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week. For women, consuming more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week.
Validity and performance
It is reported to have a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 76% for the identification of excessive, i.e. problem, drinking and a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 77% for the identification of alcoholism [4].
Known Specific Risk Factors
Having a biological family member with alcoholism or drug addiction. Having a mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety. Experiencing peer pressure to drink, especially as a young adult. Having low self-esteem or self-worth.
Alcohols bind with other atoms to create secondary alcohols. These secondary alcohols are the three types of alcohol that humans use every day: methanol, isopropanol, and ethanol.
According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 29.5 million people ages 12 and older (10.6% in this age group) had AUD in the past year. This includes: 16.6 million males ages 12 and older (12.1% in this age group) 13.0 million females ages 12 and older (9.1% in this age group)