> ## 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.

# Substance-use screens — picking between AUDIT, DAST-10, CAGE-AID and CRAFFT

> Five alcohol and drug screens, from a four-item combined screen to the WHO's full ten-item AUDIT. Which to reach for by substance, age and how much time you have.

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.**

## Choosing in one table

| Screen                                             | Covers             | Items  | Reach for it when                                |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [AUDIT](/clinical-templates/substance/audit)       | Alcohol            | 10     | You want severity and subscales, not just a flag |
| [AUDIT-C](/clinical-templates/substance/audit-c)   | Alcohol            | 3      | Consumption only, and you are short on time      |
| [DAST-10](/clinical-templates/substance/dast-10)   | Drugs, not alcohol | 10     | The concern is non-alcohol substance use         |
| [CAGE-AID](/clinical-templates/substance/cage-aid) | Both, together     | 4      | You need the fastest possible screen             |
| [CRAFFT](/clinical-templates/substance/crafft)     | Both               | 2-part | The client is 12–21                              |

## 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.

## 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.

## The five screens

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AUDIT" icon="chart-column" href="/clinical-templates/substance/audit">
    The WHO's ten-item alcohol screen, with three subscales scored live.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AUDIT-C" icon="chart-column" href="/clinical-templates/substance/audit-c">
    The first three AUDIT items as a standalone consumption screen.
  </Card>

  <Card title="DAST-10" icon="chart-column" href="/clinical-templates/substance/dast-10">
    Ten yes/no items on non-alcohol substance use over the past year.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CAGE-AID" icon="chart-column" href="/clinical-templates/substance/cage-aid">
    Four items covering alcohol and drugs together — the fastest here.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CRAFFT" icon="chart-column" href="/clinical-templates/substance/crafft">
    The adolescent screen, validated 12–21, in two parts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What's in the library" icon="layer-group" href="/clinical-templates/overview">
    All seventy-one templates, and how they are organised.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Running one in session" icon="users" href="/clinical-templates/in-session-administration">
    Administering a screen on the call, and what your client sees.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>