How to Coach Yourself and Others Empowering Coaching And Crisis Interventions | Page 168

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level. Points scored above 0 on questions 4-6 (especially weekly or daily symptoms) imply the presence or
incipience of alcohol dependence.
Points scored on questions 7-10 indicate that alcohol-related harm is already being experienced. The total
score, consumption level, signs of dependence, and present harm all should play a role in determining how to
manage a patient. The final two questions should also be reviewed to determine whether patients give evidence
of a past problem (i.e., “yes, but not in the past year”).
Even in the absence of current hazardous drinking, positive responses on these items should be used to discuss
the need for vigilance by the patient.
In most cases the total AUDIT score will reflect the patient’s level of risk related to alcohol. In general health
care settings and in community surveys, most patients will score under the cut-offs and may be
considered to have low risk of alcohol related problems. A smaller, but still significant, portion of the
population is likely to score above the cut-offs but record most of their points on the first three questions. A
much smaller proportion can be expected to score very high, with points recorded on the dependence-related
questions as well as exhibiting alcohol-related problems.
As yet there has been insufficient research to establish precisely a cut-off point to distinguish hazardous a