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Substance-use screens are short by design — most take under two minutes — so the choice between them is rarely about burden. It is about which substance, which age group, and whether you need a number you can track or just a yes-or-no.

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Choosing in one table

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The practical shape of the decision

Alcohol alone, and you want to track it. The full AUDIT. Ten items, three subscales, and a score you can put in a note and compare against next time. Alcohol alone, and you are triaging. AUDIT-C is the first three AUDIT items and takes under a minute. If it is positive you can administer the remaining seven without starting over. Drugs, or drugs and alcohol together. DAST-10 for substances other than alcohol. CAGE-AID when you want one instrument covering both and four items is all the room you have. Anyone 12 to 21. CRAFFT, regardless of substance. It was validated in that age range and its two-part structure asks about consumption before it asks about consequences, which is the order that gets honest answers from a teenager.

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A note on what a positive screen is

None of these diagnose anything. They tell you the conversation is worth having and roughly how urgent it is. A positive AUDIT is a reason to ask more questions, not a substance-use disorder.

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The five screens

AUDIT

The WHO’s ten-item alcohol screen, with three subscales scored live.

AUDIT-C

The first three AUDIT items as a standalone consumption screen.

DAST-10

Ten yes/no items on non-alcohol substance use over the past year.

CAGE-AID

Four items covering alcohol and drugs together — the fastest here.

CRAFFT

The adolescent screen, validated 12–21, in two parts.

What's in the library

All seventy-one templates, and how they are organised.

Running one in session

Administering a screen on the call, and what your client sees.