Alcohol Use Test (Am I Drinking Too Much?): Get Your Risk-Zone Score in Three Minutes
This alcohol use test screens for risky drinking using an adapted WHO AUDIT questionnaire. Get an instant result and a breakdown of consumption, control, and consequences to discuss with a clinician.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Alcohol Use Test (Am I Drinking Too Much?) is a free, confidential 10-question self-assessment, based on the WHO AUDIT. It takes about 7 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
What the AUDIT actually captures
The Alcohol Use Test screens for drinking patterns that may increase harm or suggest difficulty controlling alcohol use. Adapted from the WHO AUDIT, it asks about consumption, loss of control, and consequences over the past year, giving you a starting point for a clinical conversation.
How much and how often
The first three questions cover consumption: how often you drink, how much a typical session involves, and how often a session reaches six or more drinks.
Signs of lost control
The middle three questions look at early dependence signals: not being able to stop once you start, drinking getting in the way of what you meant to do, and needing a morning drink to get going.
Consequences
The last four questions cover harm: guilt or regret after drinking, memory blackouts, injuries connected to alcohol, and other people voicing concern about your drinking.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| WHO AUDIT questions | Sometimes | Yes, all 10 topics |
| Real WHO risk zones | Vague labels | Yes, published cutoffs |
| Judgment-free interpretation | Often moralizing | Yes, for every band |
| Category breakdown | No | Consumption / control / consequences |
| Clinician-reviewed | Rarely | Yes, physician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–40 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–7 | Lower risk | Your answers place you in the WHO's lower-risk zone. On this measure, your drinking pattern is not raising flags. |
| 8–14 | Hazardous drinking | Your answers fall in the WHO's hazardous zone. This is common, it is not a verdict on you, and it is very workable. |
| 15–19 | Harmful drinking | Your answers fall in the WHO's harmful zone, where drinking is likely already affecting your health or your life. Support helps, and you get to choose what kind. |
| 20–40 | Possible dependence | Your answers fall in the zone the WHO links with possible dependence. Please read this as a clear signal to get support, not as a judgment. People recover from exactly this starting point every day. |
How common is this?
The Alcohol Use Test helps you consider whether drinking is causing harm or becoming hard to control. Screening questions land differently when you know other people share these concerns. Our addiction statistics page collects numbers on problem drinking in the United States, each with its source and the year it was measured.
None of those figures say anything about your own result. They are context for it, and a reminder that whatever the score, this is common ground rather than rare territory.
Who this test is for
This test fits anyone who has caught themselves wondering about their drinking, whether that is a nightly glass of wine that quietly became two, weekend binges that leave Sunday feeling rough, or a family history of alcohol problems that makes you want to check in on your own patterns early. The AUDIT was designed as a primary-care screening tool, so it works well as a first check before a bigger conversation, not just for people who already suspect a serious problem.
It is not built to assess withdrawal risk or physical dependence on its own, and if you already know you drink heavily every day, the most useful next step is a conversation with a doctor rather than a longer questionnaire. If anxiety, low mood, or stress seem tangled up with your drinking, our Anxiety Test or Depression Test can help you see whether that piece deserves its own attention, and our Stress Management guide has concrete tools for the stress side of the pattern. Either way, the Psychology.com therapist directory can help you find a clinician who works with alcohol use if you would rather start there.
For other areas you want to explore, the tests hub brings together related self-assessments. Choose a questionnaire because it addresses a concern you recognize; repeated screening cannot replace a conversation about your drinking, medical history, and current safety.
Is it safe to stop drinking suddenly?
If you drink heavily over a sustained period, suddenly stopping can cause dangerous withdrawal. Shaking, sweating, nausea, or a racing heart when alcohol wears off deserve prompt medical advice. A seizure or severe confusion requires emergency care. Seek medical help to plan a safe change rather than using your screening score to decide whether withdrawal support is necessary.
Before an appointment, note what you drink, the size and strength of each serving, any symptoms when you cut back, and medicines or other substances you use. You can bring your result as background, while explaining that this questionnaire adapts the original AUDIT response format.
Methodology & sources
This test is built on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), developed by the World Health Organization and validated across countries, cultures, and healthcare settings since 1993 (Saunders et al., 1993; Babor et al., 2001). All ten question topics are kept faithful to the original: drinking frequency, typical quantity, heavy-drinking episodes, difficulty stopping, failed expectations, morning drinking, guilt, memory blackouts, alcohol-related injuries, and concern from others. One adaptation was made for this online format: the original AUDIT uses slightly different answer wording for different questions, while our engine presents one consistent five-point frequency scale (never, less than monthly, monthly, weekly, daily or almost daily, scored 0 to 4). Questions 1, 2, 9, and 10 were reworded so this frequency format fits them naturally.
Because of that unified answer format, this online score is not interchangeable with an official AUDIT score administered by a clinician. The risk labels displayed here are educational categories for this adaptation, and its boundaries do not exactly match the WHO manual's intervention zones. Published accuracy findings for the original AUDIT cannot be assumed to apply to these changed questions. This test is for education and self-reflection. It is not a diagnosis, and a score in any zone is information to bring to a professional conversation, not a label. Only a licensed clinician can assess an alcohol use disorder.
References
- Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF, de la Fuente JR, Grant M. Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption-II. Addiction. 1993;88(6):791-804. doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02093.x
- Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG. AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001. who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MSD-MSB-01.6a
- Reinert DF, Allen JP. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: an update of research findings. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007;31(2):185-199. doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00295.x
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. What Is a Standard Drink? niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Use Disorder: From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery. niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/alcohol-use-disorder-risk-diagnosis-recovery
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Should You Cut Down or Quit? rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/thinking-about-change/cut-down-or-quit
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Alcohol Use Test (Am I Drinking Too Much?). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/alcohol
Alcohol Use Test (Am I Drinking Too Much?) FAQ
How much drinking is too much?
Drinking deserves attention when it affects your health, safety, responsibilities, or relationships, or when you struggle to control it. Quantity matters, but an alcohol use test also asks about consequences and loss of control. A lower score cannot establish that drinking is safe for you: medications, pregnancy, and health conditions can change the advice. Bring your actual drink sizes, drinking pattern, and concerns to a clinician for guidance tailored to your circumstances.
Does a high score mean I am an alcoholic?
No, and modern medicine has largely moved past that label. Clinicians now talk about alcohol use disorder, which sits on a spectrum from mild to severe rather than being something you either are or are not. A high score means your drinking pattern carries elevated risk and is worth discussing with a professional. It says nothing about your character.
Can I cut back without quitting completely?
Cutting back may be a reasonable goal for some people, while others may need to stop drinking with professional support. NIAAA recommends discussing quitting when drinking causes problems or attempts to stay within limits have not worked. Your health, medications, and symptoms matter when choosing a goal. If you drink heavily or develop withdrawal symptoms, seek medical advice before changing your drinking abruptly, because withdrawal can be dangerous.
What counts as one drink?
In the US, a standard drink is about 14 grams of pure alcohol: a 12 oz regular beer (5%), a 5 oz glass of wine (12%), or a 1.5 oz shot of spirits (40%). Many real-world pours are larger, so a single glass at home or a strong craft beer can easily count as more than one standard drink.
Will my answers stay private?
Yes. The test runs entirely in your browser. Your individual answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us or linked to you. They stay in this tab so you can return to your result, and closing or clearing the tab clears them. If you ask us to email the PDF, we receive your summary scores with your email address, never your individual answers. No account is needed. Nobody will know you took this test unless you choose to share it.
When should I seek help for drinking?
If drinking is affecting your health, sleep, mood, work, or relationships, if you have tried to cut back and could not, or if people you trust have expressed concern, those are good reasons to talk to someone. You do not need to hit a crisis point first. A primary-care doctor, a therapist, or the free SAMHSA National Helpline are all reasonable first steps.
Related tests
Gambling Addiction Test
Based on the validated PGSI, with risk bands and a downloadable report.
Cannabis Use Disorder Test (CUDIT-R)
The 8-item CUDIT-R, reproduced verbatim, with the actual validated cutoff explained.
Drug Addiction Test (DAST-10)
Based on the validated DAST-10, with research-based risk levels. No judgment.
Nicotine Dependence Test (Fagerstrom-Based)
Adapted from the Fagerstrom Test, covering both cigarettes and vapes, with a craving score.
Phone Addiction Test
Informed by the validated SAS-SV, with usage bands and a downloadable report.