The CAGE questionnaire is a 4-question screening tool that clinicians may use to help in the diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. The CAGE Assessment is a questionnaire for substance abuse. Learn about the types of questions, how to recognize substance abuse, treatment options, and more.

Understanding the Context

The CAGE questionnaire, the name of which is an acronym of its four questions, is a widely used screening test for problem drinking and potential alcohol problems. In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the CAGE Questionnaire. We will cover the aspects it evaluates, the target population, a detailed step-by-step explanation, and how to interpret its results. The CAGE questionnaire is a series of four questions that doctors can use to check for signs of possible alcohol dependency.

Key Insights

The questions are designed to be less obtrusive than directly asking ... Developed by Dr. John Ewing, founding Director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Cahpel Hill, CAGE is an internationally used assessment instrument for identifying alcoholics. CAGE Substance Abuse Screening Tool Directions: Ask your patients these four questions and use the scoring method described below to determine if substance abuse exists and needs to be addressed. Have you ever had a drink or used drugs first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

Final Thoughts

Note. The plain text shows the CAGE questions. The italicized text was added to produce the CAGE-AID.