Am I an Alcoholic? Take the Free Alcohol Quiz

By the StartDrugRehab.com editorial team · Updated November 5, 2026 · Editorial policy

About this alcohol quiz

This quiz is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a screening test developed by the World Health Organization and used by doctors around the world. It asks 10 questions about the past year: three about how much and how often you drink, three about signs of dependence and four about problems alcohol may be causing.

Your answers stay in your browser. We do not save them or send them anywhere.

What your AUDIT score means

Some clinicians use a lower cutoff for women and for adults over 65, because the same amount of alcohol affects them more. Points on questions 4–6 (signs of dependence) or a “yes” to question 9 or 10 are worth taking seriously even if the total score is low.

Am I an alcoholic, or do I have alcohol use disorder?

“Alcoholic” is an everyday word, not a medical diagnosis. Doctors diagnose alcohol use disorder (AUD) using 11 criteria from the DSM-5. In the past year, have you:

• Ended up drinking more, or longer, than you meant to?
• Wanted to cut down or stop, or tried to, but couldn’t?
• Spent a lot of time drinking, or being sick or getting over it?
• Wanted a drink so badly you couldn’t think of anything else?
• Found that drinking, or being sick from it, got in the way of home, family, work or school?
• Kept drinking even though it caused trouble with family or friends?
• Given up or cut back on activities that mattered to you so you could drink?
• More than once, gotten into situations while or after drinking that raised your chances of getting hurt, like driving or unsafe sex?
• Kept drinking even though it made you depressed or anxious, added to another health problem or caused memory blackouts?
• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want?
• Had withdrawal symptoms as the alcohol wore off, like trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart or a seizure?

Two or three of these suggests mild AUD, four or five moderate, and six or more severe. Only a doctor or licensed clinician can make the diagnosis, but if several of these sound familiar, it is worth talking to one.

What counts as one drink?

In the US, one standard drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol. That is about:

• 12 ounces of regular beer (about 5% alcohol)
• 5 ounces of wine (about 12% alcohol)
• 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits like vodka or whiskey (about 40% alcohol)

Many mixed drinks, craft beers and generous wine pours contain more than one standard drink, so people often drink more than they think.

What to do if your score is high

• Talk to a doctor. A primary care doctor can confirm whether you have AUD, check your health and talk through options, including medications.
• Don’t quit cold turkey if you drink heavily every day. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and delirium tremens, which can be fatal. Medical detox makes stopping safe.
• Know that treatment works. Options include outpatient counseling, intensive outpatient programs, residential rehab and FDA-approved medications for AUD: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram.
• Find a program that fits. Use Treatment Match to get up to 3 options in about a minute, or read our alcohol rehab guide.

Worried about someone else?

You can take the quiz on their behalf by choosing “Someone I love” before you start. It works best if you know their drinking habits well. Our guide on how to help a loved one covers how to start the conversation and what to do if they are not ready.

Want to know how long alcohol shows up on tests? See how long alcohol stays in your system.