MAST (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test)
Developed in 1971, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is one of the oldest and most accurate alcohol screening tests available, effective in identifying dependent drinkers with up to 98 percent accuracy.
Questions on the MAST test relate to the patient’s self-appraisal of social, vocational, and family problems frequently associated with heavy drinking. The test was developed to screen for alcohol problems in the general population.
There are two drawbacks to the MAST test, compared with other alcohol screening testsavailable today. The length of the test makes it less convenient to administer in a busy primary care office or emergency room setting, compared to the shorter four- or five-question tests available. The questions on the MAST test also focus on problems over the patient’s lifetime, rather than on current problems. This means the test is less likely to detect alcohol problems in the early stages.
Over the years, there have been several variations of the MAST developed, including the brief MAST, the short MAST, as well as the self-administered MAST. The following is the 22-question, self-administered MAST.
The MAST Test
The MAST Test is a simple, self-scoring test that helps assess if you have a drinking problem. Answer yes or no to the following questions:
1. Do you feel you are a normal drinker? (“normal” is defined as drinking as much or less than most other people)
___ Yes ___ No
2. Have you ever awakened the morning after drinking the night before and found that you could not remember a part of the evening?
___ Yes ___ No
3. Does any near relative or close friend ever worry or complain about your drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
4. Can you stop drinking without difficulty after one or two drinks?
___ Yes ___ No
5. Do you ever feel guilty about your drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
6. Have you ever attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
___ Yes ___ No
7. Have you ever gotten into physical fights when drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
8. Has drinking ever created problems between you and a near relative or close friend?
___ Yes ___ No
9. Has any family member or close friend gone to anyone for help about your drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
10. Have you ever lost friends because of your drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
11. Have you ever gotten into trouble at work because of drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
12. Have you ever lost a job because of drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
13. Have you ever neglected your obligations, family, or work for two or more days in a row because you were drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
14. Do you drink before noon fairly often?
___ Yes ___ No
15. Have you ever been told you have liver trouble, such as cirrhosis?
___ Yes ___ No
16. After heavy drinking, have you ever had delirium tremens (DTs), severe shaking, visual or auditory (hearing) hallucinations?
___ Yes ___ No
17. Have you ever gone to anyone for help about your drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
18. Have you ever been hospitalized because of drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
19. Has your drinking ever resulted in your being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward?
___ Yes ___ No
20. Have you ever gone to any doctor, social worker, clergyman, or mental health clinic for help with any emotional problem in which drinking was part of the problem?
___ Yes ___ No
21. Have you been arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol?
___ Yes ___ No
22. Have you ever been arrested, or detained by an official for a few hours, because of other behavior while drinking?
___ Yes ___ No
Scoring the MAST Test
Score one point if you answered “no” to the following questions: 1 or 4. Score one point if you answered “yes” to the following questions: 2, 3, 5 through 22.
A total score of six or more indicates hazardous drinking or alcohol dependence and further evaluation by a healthcare professional is recommended.
CAGE Questionnaire
Two “yes” responses indicate that the possibility of alcoholism should be investigated further. The questionnaire asks the following questions:
- Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
- Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
- Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
- Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
CRAFFT Questionnaire
CRAFFT Screening Test is a short, self-administered behavioral health screening tool developed to screen adolescents for high risk alcohol and other drug use disorders simultaneously. It is considered an effective screening tool intended to assess whether further assessment is warranted. The CRAFFT performs a similar function to the CAGE questionnaire, which is used for screening alcohol disorders in adults, but which has poor psychometric properties for teens and adolescents.
The published questionnaire is currently available in three languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. The questionnaire comprises two parts. Part A asks whether during the past 12 months the respondent:
- Drank any alcohol (more than a few sips)
- Smoked any marijuana or hashish
- Used anything else to get “high”.
If the answer is “no” to all three questions, the respondent is directed to the first question only of part B. If the answer is “yes” to any of the above three questions, the respondent is directed to all six questions in part B.
Of the six questions in Part B, two or more ‘‘yes’’ answers suggest a significant problem and need for additional assessment. The questions are
- C Have you ever ridden in a CAR driven by someone (including yourself) who was ‘‘high’’ or had been using alcohol or drugs?
- R Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to RELAX, feel better about yourself, or fit in?
- A Do you ever use alcohol or drugs while you are ALONE?
- F Do you ever FORGET things you did while using alcohol or drugs?
- F Do your family or FRIENDS ever tell you that you should cut down on your drinking or drug use?
- T Have you ever gotten into TROUBLE while you were using alcohol or drugs?
