Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test

Medically Reviewed By Kayla Loibl | Last Edited : November 12, 
2020 | 4 Sources


Assessing Your Drinking - MAST Alcohol Test

Do you have problems with drinking?

Given the comorbid and highly prevalent nature of alcoholism, early detection and treatment is significant in reducing the substantial harm this disorder could cause both at the individual and society.

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST)is one of the most widely used measures for assessing alcohol abuse. It is a very simple, self scoring test that helps assess if you have a drinking problem.

There are 22 questions and they refer only to the past 12 months of your drinking.

Carefully read each statement and decide whether your answer is yes or no. Please give the best answer or the answer that is right most of the time.

For a chemical test at home try one like this.

This test will only give accurate results if you are honest with yourself when answering the questions.



Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test

Please answer ALL the questions by choosing Yes or No, then click on the 'Get Result' button:

1. Do you feel you are a normal drinker?
Yes No

2. Have you ever awakened the morning after drinking the night before and found that you could not remember a part of the evening?
Yes No

3. Does any near relative or close friend ever worry or complain about your drinking?
Yes No

4. Can you stop drinking without difficulty after one or two drinks?
Yes No

5. Do you ever feel guilty about your drinking?
Yes No

6. Have you ever attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
Yes No

7. Have you ever gotten into physical fights when drinking?
Yes No

8. Has drinking ever created problems between you and a near relative or close friend?
Yes No

9. Has any family member or close friend gone to anyone for help about your drinking?
Yes No

10. Have you ever lost friends because of your drinking?
Yes No

11. Have you ever gotten into trouble at work because of drinking?
Yes No

12. Have you ever lost a job because of drinking?
Yes No

13. Have you ever neglected your obligations, your family, or your work for two or more days in a row because you were drinking?
Yes No

14. Do you drink before noon fairly often?
Yes No

15. Have you ever been told you have liver trouble such as alcoholic cirrhosis?
Yes No

16. After heavy drinking have you ever had delirium tremens (D.T.'s), severe shaking, visual or auditory (hearing) hallucinations (alcohol withdrawal symptoms)?
Yes No

17. Have you ever gone to anyone for help about your drinking?
Yes No

18. Have you ever been hospitalized because of drinking?
Yes No

19. Has your drinking ever resulted in your being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward?
Yes No

20. Have you ever gone to any doctor, social worker, clergyman or mental health clinic for help with any emotional problem in which drinking was part of the problem?
Yes No

21. Have you been arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol?
Yes No

22. Have you ever been arrested, even for a few hours because of other behavior while drinking?
Yes No




SCORING

For your information, this test is scored as follows:

  • 0 - 2 points, No apparent problem
  • 3 - 5 points, Early or middle problem drinker
  • 6 or more points, Problem drinker



What's The Next Step?

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test is a very effective way to diagnose problems with drinking.

It is also a relatively accurate test. In a recent study it was found that Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test diagnoses agreed with diagnoses of alcoholism reached through other assessment procedures in about 75 percent of cases.

If you have answered yes to 3 or more of the questions in the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, or you are worried about your consumption, it is strongly advisable to consult an alcohol specialist.

Usually this means making an appointment with an alcohol/addiction counselor and discussing your alcohol consumption with him/her.

If you feel more comfortable with your family doctor then go to them by all means. Most doctors have a good knowledge of alcoholism and its signs. If they think you have a problem they can refer you to a counselor/treatment center.


Another option is to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in your area. These meetings are very simple in format. Members are supposed to step up and take responsibility for changing themselves and motivating others to do the same. They generally involve alcoholics sharing their alcoholism stories, feelings, and struggles with alcohol. This is a good way to discover more about alcoholism and to decide whether you have a problem. You don't have to speak at these meetings if you don't want to, you can just listen. The only requirement to be a member in AA is a desire to finally stop drinking.

Alcoholics Anonymous, however, is not for everybody and there are plenty of options out there for those who do not want to go down the AA route, or have found the 12-step method to be alien to them. Read AA alternatives for more.





free alcohol rehab

Our FREE E-book The Guide to Free and Affordable Drug and Alcohol Rehab is the definitive directory of treatment centers around the U.S. that can offer a way out of alcohol dependence to those without insurance or the money to pay for expensive alcohol rehab. 436 pages long, this guide is invaluable for those who want help for themselves or their loved ones.



If you or someone close to you wants help and advice on quitting drinking then take a look at the following pages:



Lead Writer/Reviewer : Kayla Loibl

Licensed Medical Health Professional 


Hello!

I am a Mental Health Counselor who is licensed in both New York (LMHC) and North Carolina (LCMHC). I have been working in the Mental Health field since 2015. I have worked in a residential setting, an outpatient program and an inpatient addictions program. I began working in Long Island, NY and then in Guelph, Ontario after moving to Canada. Read More



Sources:  

Alcoholics Anonymous. Is A.A. For You?.  https://www.aa.org/pages/en_us/is-aa-for-you-twelve-questions-only-you-can-answer

Harvard Health Publishing. How Alcoholics Anonymous works. July 2007. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/

Journal of Drug Abuse. Mini Review on Systematic Evaluation of Psychometric Characteristics of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test 13-Item Short (SMAST) and 10-Item Brief(BMAST) Versions. March 26, 2019. https://drugabuse.imedpub.com

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/assessingalcohol/


Return from Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test to Alcoholism Test 

Return from Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test to Alcoholism Help Homepage


Alcoholism Help Homepage | What is Alcoholism | Signs of Alcoholism | Alcoholism Tests | Alcohol Abuse Effects | Living with an Addict | Alcoholism Recovery | The AA Way| Alcoholism Cure| Alcoholism Medication | My Story | Alcoholism Guide Blog | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.


ADVERTISEMENT


Real Life Stories

RSS

  1. My drinking is destroying my life.

    Jul 12, 21 03:40 AM

  2. Drinking and Art

    Jul 12, 21 03:33 AM

  3. Three Years Sober and Finally Happy.

    Jul 12, 21 03:29 AM