Introduction
CAGE asks about four experiences around drinking: wanting to cut down, feeling annoyed by criticism, feeling guilty, and having a drink first thing in the morning. It focuses on concerns and consequences rather than counting drinks.
The wording asks whether these experiences have ever occurred. That makes a past period of drinking relevant even if current habits have changed. When discussing the answers, distinguish what happened before from what is happening now; a recent quantity-and-frequency record answers a different question.
A practical record might include when drinking occurs, how much is consumed, and what happens to sleep, responsibilities or relationships afterwards. Those details add context that four yes-or-no answers cannot describe. CAGE concerns alcohol specifically; gambling and shopping questionnaires examine different behaviours.
Instructions
Please answer yes or no to the following questions.
Scoring and result metrics
The result page reports a local screening score for this questionnaire. Use the score range, any subscale scores, and the interpretation band together rather than treating one number as a diagnosis.
- Score range
- 0-4
- Items scored
- 4
- Result indicators
- Total score / Interpretation band when available
Score interpretation bands
- 0-4Screening threshold
2 or more "yes" answers may indicate a problem with alcohol abuse.
Interpretation bands summarize screening thresholds from the questionnaire source material. Higher scores usually indicate more of the measured concern unless the tool notes a different scoring rule.
Tool information
- Version
- 4 questions
- Administration
- Self-report
- Intended audience
- Adults reviewing possible alcohol-related problems; it is not designed for children or for assessing acute withdrawal
Sources
- JA Ewing. Detecting Alcoholism. The CAGE Questionnaire. 252(14): 1905-7. The Journal of the American Medical Association. 1984.
- KA Bradley, DR Kivlahan, KR Bush, MB McDonell, and SD Fihn. Variations On The CAGE Alcohol Screening Questionnaire: Strengths And Limitations In VA General Medical Patients. 25(10): 1472-8. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. 2001.
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