AUDIT-C Calculator — Alcohol Use Screening Score
The AUDIT-C is a three-question validated screening tool developed by the World Health Organization to identify hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Answer the three questions to get your score (0–12) and see how it compares with the clinical positive-screen threshold.
Biological sex
Q1 — How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
Q2 — How many drinks do you have on a typical drinking day?
Q3 — How often do you have 6 or more drinks on one occasion?
Negative screen — below the clinical threshold for hazardous drinking
- 1
Q1 — Drinking frequency score
1 - 2
Q2 — Drinks per occasion score
0 - 3
Q3 — Heavy drinking frequency score
0 - 4
Total AUDIT-C score
1 + 0 + 0 = 1
How does this calculator work?
Add your scores for three questions (frequency of drinking, drinks per occasion, frequency of heavy episodes): men scoring ≥ 4 and women scoring ≥ 3 screen positive for hazardous alcohol use. Total possible score is 12. A positive screen warrants a conversation with a healthcare provider — it is a flag, not a diagnosis.
Formula
How this is calculated
The AUDIT-C is a shortened version of the 10-question Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), validated to detect hazardous and harmful drinking. It asks three questions: (1) how often you drink, (2) how many drinks on a typical day, and (3) how often you drink six or more on one occasion. Each question is scored 0–4, giving a total of 0–12.
Positive-screen thresholds differ by biological sex because men and women metabolise alcohol differently and face different dose-dependent risks: a score of 4 or above for men, and 3 or above for women, indicates likely hazardous drinking warranting further assessment. These thresholds are recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the NIAAA, and the original WHO AUDIT authors.
The AUDIT-C is a screen, not a diagnosis. A positive score means it is worth discussing alcohol use with a healthcare provider — it does not confirm an alcohol use disorder. Scores toward the upper end (8–12) are associated with more severe patterns of use and possible dependence.
Frequently asked questions
A score at or above the threshold (≥ 4 for men, ≥ 3 for women) is a "positive screen" — it suggests a pattern of alcohol use that may increase health risk. Clinical guidelines recommend a brief motivational conversation with a provider and, if warranted, a full 10-question AUDIT or diagnostic interview.
No. The full AUDIT has 10 questions (total 0–40) and covers dependence symptoms and alcohol-related harm, not just consumption pattern. The AUDIT-C uses the first three questions only and is scored 0–12. It has slightly lower sensitivity for dependence but is faster and more practical for primary-care screening.
The AUDIT-C was derived from the original WHO AUDIT by Bush et al. (1998) and validated extensively in VA primary care populations. Meta-analyses confirm strong sensitivity (around 0.86–0.91) and specificity (0.70–0.79) for hazardous drinking at the sex-specific thresholds commonly used today.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). AUDIT-C Calculator — Alcohol Use Screening Score [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/audit-c-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "AUDIT-C Calculator — Alcohol Use Screening Score." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/audit-c-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "AUDIT-C Calculator — Alcohol Use Screening Score," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/audit-c-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_audit_c_calculator, title = {AUDIT-C Calculator — Alcohol Use Screening Score}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/audit-c-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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