Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Alcohol Dependence (Alcoholism)

Diagnosis

Your doctor may use the CAGE questions or some other screening questionnaire that is used to assess drinking problems. One alternative to CAGE is the 10-question AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) developed by the World Health Organization. The doctor should also ask you about your history of using alcohol and other drugs.

He or she also will ask about any alcohol-related problems that you might have had at work, at home or with the law, such as getting into fights or driving while intoxicated. Your doctor also may ask about any physical symptoms of alcoholism. These questions are often embarrassing to answer truthfully. Your doctor should view alcoholism as an illness that can be treated, and should not respond to you as if you had a reason to be ashamed. Your doctor is in a better position to help you if you can be honest.

Your doctor will examine you, carefully checking for signs of poor nutrition and alcohol-related liver or nerve damage. He or she also will order blood tests to check for anemia, vitamin deficiencies and abnormal levels of liver chemicals.