> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# CRAFFT — Adolescent substance-use screen
> The validated 12–21 substance-use screen covering alcohol and drugs in a two-part structure.
The CRAFFT is the substance-use screen for adolescents. The acronym names
the six core items: **C**ar, **R**elax, **A**lone, **F**orget,
**F**amily/Friends, **T**rouble. Boston Children's Hospital's Center for
Adolescent Behavioral Health Research maintains the current 2.1 version at
CRAFFT.org.
The CRAFFT is the only adolescent-specific substance-use measure in the
Rivet library — for clients aged 12–21, it's the validated alternative to
adult instruments like the AUDIT and DAST-10.
## What it measures
Two parts:
* **Part A** — past-12-month frequency of three substance categories:
alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Frequency is captured (0, 1, 2–3,
4–9, 10–19, 20–39, 40+ days) but doesn't contribute to the screen score.
* **Part B** — the 6-item CRAFFT screen, yes/no:
* **C**ar — riding with a driver who'd been drinking or using
* **R**elax — using to relax, feel better about yourself, fit in
* **A**lone — using alone
* **F**orget — forgetting things while using
* **F**amily/Friends — being told by family or friends to cut down
* **T**rouble — getting into trouble while using
## When to send it
* Adolescent intake (any client 12–21)
* Routine adolescent-medicine substance-use screening
* Pre/post for adolescent substance-use treatment
* When parents raise concerns and you want a validated instrument as
part of the assessment
## Scoring and severity cutoffs
Sum of Part B yes-scored items, range 0–6. Part A frequency items are
captured for context but don't add to the screen score.
| Part B yes count | Band |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| 0–1 | Below CRAFFT cutoff |
| 2–6 | Positive screen — further assessment indicated |
**Cutoff ≥2** is the standard threshold (Knight et al. 2002).
Per CRAFFT 2.1 guidance, Part B should be administered if any Part A item
is ≥1 day, OR if the adolescent has ridden in a car with an impaired
driver. Rivet presents all items without conditional gating, leaving the
clinical judgment with you — you can choose to score only Part B when Part
A is all-zero with no car item endorsed.
## CRAFFT vs AUDIT and DAST-10
The CRAFFT is the only substance screen here written for adolescents, and
the age range is the reason to use it: 12 to 21. The
[AUDIT](/clinical-templates/substance/audit) and
[DAST-10](/clinical-templates/substance/dast-10) were validated in adults,
and the questions they ask — about work, about dependence over a year —
don't land the same way with a sixteen-year-old.
It also covers alcohol and drugs in one instrument, where the adult pair
needs two, and its six screening questions are about the contexts and
consequences that actually matter at that age: riding with an impaired
driver, using alone, forgetting, being told to cut down.
Over 21, move to the AUDIT and DAST-10. Around the boundary, use whichever
fits the client's circumstances rather than their birthday.
## Is it free to use?
**Yes.** Free for clinical use. CRAFFT.org asks users to register as a courtesy — not a condition, but worth doing.
## Citation
Knight, J. R., Sherritt, L., Shrier, L. A., Harris, S. K., & Chang, G.
(2002). Validity of the CRAFFT substance abuse screening test among
adolescent clinic patients. *Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine,* 156(6), 607–614.
Current 2.1 version maintained by the Center for Adolescent Behavioral
Health Research at Boston Children's Hospital at CRAFFT.org. Free clinical
use; the publisher courtesy-requests registration.
## When not to use it
For adults (22+), the AUDIT family and DAST-10 are the validated
alternatives. The CRAFFT's car-and-peer-pressure framing is calibrated to
adolescent social context — it can read awkwardly with older clients and
its norms come from the 12–21 sample.
## Related articles
The 3-item adult alcohol screen.
The 10-item adult non-alcohol drug screen.