> ## 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.

# DAST-10 — Drug Abuse Screening Test

> Skinner's 10-item yes/no screen for non-alcohol substance use over the past 12 months.

The DAST-10 is the drug-use counterpart to the [AUDIT](/clinical-templates/substance/audit).
Skinner published it in 1982 as the brief version of the original DAST-28,
and CAMH has maintained it as a free-clinical-use instrument since. It
covers drugs *other than* alcohol — prescription misuse, cannabis, stimulants,
opioids, sedatives, hallucinogens — over the past 12 months.

## What it measures

Drug-use problems and consequences across 10 yes/no items:

* Loss of control (using more than intended, inability to stop)
* Social and occupational consequences (family, work, legal)
* Withdrawal and dependence symptoms
* Treatment history

Item 3 is reverse-scored: "Are you always able to stop using drugs when
you want to?" A "No" answer counts as 1 point; "Yes" counts as 0. Rivet's
template encodes this directly in the answer-option scoring, so the
live-scoring pill is correct without any manual adjustment.

## When to send it

* Intake substance-use baseline alongside the AUDIT (alcohol) for a full
  picture
* Treatment-response monitoring during substance-use work
* SBIRT protocols where AUDIT alone is incomplete
* When a CAGE-AID positive screen surfaces drug use specifically and you
  want the severity gradient

The 10 items take 2–3 minutes. Async administration works well —
endorsement of drug use without a clinician present in the room is
sometimes more candid.

## Scoring and severity cutoffs

Sum of yes-scored items, range 0–10.

| Total | Band                                          |
| ----- | --------------------------------------------- |
| 0     | No problems reported                          |
| 1–2   | Low level                                     |
| 3–5   | Moderate level — further assessment indicated |
| 6–8   | Substantial level                             |
| 9–10  | Severe level                                  |

**Cutoff ≥3** surfaces the "further drug-use assessment indicated" flag.

## DAST-10 vs AUDIT

These are companions, not alternatives. The
[AUDIT](/clinical-templates/substance/audit) covers alcohol; the DAST-10
covers drugs other than alcohol and tobacco. If both are in the picture —
which is common — you run both, and neither one will tell you about the
other.

If you need one instrument covering both and can accept a flag rather than
a severity estimate, that's the
[CAGE-AID](/clinical-templates/substance/cage-aid). For adolescents, the
[CRAFFT](/clinical-templates/substance/crafft) covers alcohol and drugs
together in the 12–21 range.

## Is it free to use?

**Yes.** Free clinical use, per CAMH, the institution where it originated.

## Citation

Skinner, H. A. (1982). The Drug Abuse Screening Test. *Addictive
Behaviors,* 7(4), 363–371.

Free clinical use per CAMH (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health),
the original publisher institution.

## When not to use it

The DAST-10 is silent on alcohol — pair it with the [AUDIT](/clinical-templates/substance/audit)
or [AUDIT-C](/clinical-templates/substance/audit-c) when alcohol is part of
the picture. For adolescents (12–21), the [CRAFFT](/clinical-templates/substance/crafft)
is the validated alternative and covers alcohol and drugs in one form.

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AUDIT" icon="wine-glass" href="/clinical-templates/substance/audit">
    The 10-item alcohol counterpart.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CRAFFT" icon="user" href="/clinical-templates/substance/crafft">
    The adolescent-specific substance-use screen.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>