How much is too much?

The first three questions of the World Health Organization's AUDIT, known as the AUDIT-C. Doctors use it to spot drinking that may be harming health. One drink means one standard drink: a 12 oz beer (5%), a 5 oz glass of wine (12%) or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits (40%).

About this questionnaire

Source: Bush K, Kivlahan DR, McDonell MB, Fihn SD, Bradley KA. The AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C). Arch Intern Med. 1998;158(16):1789–1795. Bradley KA, DeBenedetti AF, Volk RJ, et al. AUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007;31(7):1208–1217. Questions 1–3 of the WHO AUDIT (Babor TF et al., WHO 2001), which may be reproduced and translated for non-commercial use. Original →

Common questions

What is a standard drink?

In the US, one standard drink has about 14 grams of pure alcohol: a 12 oz regular beer, a 5 oz glass of wine or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits.

Why are the lines different for men and women?

Studies found that the same score means different risk: women reach harmful levels at lower amounts. Screening lines are 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women.