The 4 question CAGE Test is a quick guide to whether your drinking has become a problem.
The amount you are drinking falls somewhere on a very wide spectrum which ranges from casual consumption (if you drink at all) to alcohol addiction.
It would be so much easier if there were clear divisions along that line. There should be gateways to make us stop and consider before we enter a new and defined stage with big warning signs about the dangers of going on. But life isn’t like that and it is so easy to drift closer and closer to a point where alcohol becomes a problem.
And worse: the closer you you are to alcohol addiction, the more you want to tell yourself that everything is under control and there is no problem at all.
Fortunately, one very simple, 4-question test can help to alert you to real danger.
The CAGE questionnaire was developed by Dr. John Ewing, founding director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It’s an internationally used tool for identifying problems with alcohol.
You can try out the questionnaire (and learn how it got its name) on a special page about the CAGE Test on the Addictions UK website.
There is also a link to the test on our page about the help we can offer you (and your family and friends too) if you realise you do have a problem with alcohol and are ready to get the help you need.
If you would rather, you can contact us now from our website or telephone us on 0800 140 4044
