The alcohol identification and brief advice process consists of three main stages: 

1. An initial simple screening using a short identification tool
2. A full identification test for people who may be drinking above lower risk levels
3. Brief advice and referral to specialist treatment if necessary.

Screening tools

You may come across tools, such as FAST (Fast Alcohol Screening Test), SASQ (Single Alcohol Screening Question) and AUDIT-PC (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Primary Care), but the recommended screening tool and gold standard for use in pharmacy is AUDIT, which stands for Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. 

• AUDIT-C

AUDIT-C is a shorter version of this tool and can be used for an initial screening. It consists of three questions and is useful for establishing whether someone falls into the lower risk category of alcohol intake. 

A score of five or more indicates that the individual is possibly drinking at increasing risk or higher risk levels. In these cases, the remaining seven AUDIT questions should be asked to identify their level of risk or possible dependence. 

• The full AUDIT questionnaire

To establish whether someone is in the increasing risk or higher risk category, or if they are dependent on alcohol, the full AUDIT screening tool is needed. The tool consists of 10 questions, and individuals can choose one of five possible responses. Each response is awarded a score between zero and five and this will reveal whether they are in the increasing risk or higher risk categories, or if they are alcohol dependent. At this stage, pharmacy professionals can judge whether it is appropriate to offer brief advice and/or referral.