Which screening instrument is widely used to assess hazardous drinking in adults?

• A. AUDIT
• B. CAGE
• C. DAST
• D. PHQ-9

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is choosing a screening tool that specifically identifies hazardous drinking in adults. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) fits this purpose best because it spans three important areas: how much and how often someone drinks (consumption), signs of developing dependence, and the consequences of drinking. This broad approach helps clinicians pick up not only clear dependence but also risky and hazardous patterns that might otherwise be missed.

AUDIT is a 10-item questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. It provides a score that reflects the level of risk: lower scores indicate lower risk, while higher scores point to hazardous or harmful drinking and possible dependence. It’s widely used in diverse settings because it’s brief, well-validated, and applicable to adults across cultures.

In contrast, the other tools have different focuses. CAGE is a quick 4-question screen that emphasizes potential dependence and past experiences with drinking, but it can miss hazardous drinking without dependence symptoms. DAST is designed to screen for drug use rather than alcohol. PHQ-9 screens for depressive symptoms, not alcohol use.

So for identifying hazardous drinking in adults, AUDIT is the best choice because it explicitly targets drinking patterns, potential dependence, and related problems in a single, widely used instrument.