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The CAGE questionnaire, the name of which is an acronym of its four questions, is a widely used method of screening for alcoholism.
Two "yes" responses indicate that the respondent should be investigated further. The questionnaire asks the following questions:
- Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking-
- Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking-
- Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking-
- Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover-[1][2]
The CAGE questionnaire, among other methods, has been extensively validated for use in identifying alcoholism.[3] CAGE is considered a validated screening technique, with one study determining that it CAGE test scores >=2 had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 76% for the identification of problem drinkers. [4]
It is not valid for diagnosis of other substance use disorders, although somewhat modified versions of the CAGE are frequently implemented for such a purpose.
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