Scores relating to AUDIT
Sensible drinking / Low Risk
(AUDIT score of 0-7)
Your results according to the AUDIT questionnaire suggest that you are at a lower risk of harming your health, assuming that you have been honest in answering the questions. The drinking limits are 21 units or fewer a week for men or up to four units per day, and 14 units or fewer per week or up to three units a day for women. It is also recommended that you have no alcohol on at least 2 days per week.
Drinking consistently within these limits is called lower risk rather than “safe”, because drinking is never completely safe in all circumstances. If you are drinking in excess of 8 units per day for a man, and 6 units a day in women, but not necessarily exceeding the weekly “sensible drinking” limit, you are also at increased risk of harm.
Remember, it’s not ok to have your ‘weekly units’ in one go!!!
You don’t need to take any action, just carry on being aware of what you drink; it is easy to move up the risk categories without really noticing.
Hazardous Drinking / Increased risk
(AUDIT score of 8-15)
Your results according to the AUDIT questionnaire suggest that you are at a increased risk of harming your health as a result of drinking. Hazardous drinking is also known as “risky drinking”. This concept is similar to the idea of risky behaviour. For example, smoking 20 cigarettes a day may not be accompanied by any present or actual harm, but we know it is hazardous.
You may be drinking more than four units per day or regularly 22-49 units per week for a man. For a woman this is more than 3 units per day or 15-35 units per week.
If you are drinking in excess of 8 units per day for a man and 6 units a day in women, but not necessarily exceeding the weekly “sensible drinking” limit, you are also at increased risk of harm.
Alcohol affects all parts and systems of the body and it plays a role in more than 60 different medical conditions.
If you are regularly drinking at a level that places you at increasing risk you might already have experienced problems like feeling tired or depressed, gaining extra weight, memory loss while drinking, sleeping poorly and sexual difficulties.
If you are in this category, you are drinking hazardously, however you may not be seeking treatment for an alcohol problem, even though you may realise that your drinking is putting you at risk.
You therefore have a very important decision to make and to consider cutting down your drinking.
Harmful Drinking / High Risk
(AUDIT score of 16-19)
The harmful drinking category applies to people drinking over medically recommended levels, probably at somewhat higher levels than in hazardous drinking. It suggests that you are at higher risk of harming your health as a result of drinking. You are drinking 50+ units a week for a man and 35+ units a week for a woman.
The problems that are being detected by you at this stage may be acute, such as an alcohol-related accident, acute pancreatitis or acute blood poisoning. You are likely to have experienced feeling tired or depressed, gaining weight or having periods of memory loss when drinking. You may be sleeping poorly or having sexual difficulties.
If you are in this category, the amount you are drinking is likely to be causing you harm, in fact it might be having a bad effect that you are not aware of. You have a difficult decision to make: should I cut down on my drinking?
Dependent drinking
(AUDIT score of 20+)
This category refers to drinking associated with an established moderate or severe level of dependence.
Your alcohol usage exceeds “sensible drinking” guidelines and is considered to be above the hazardous and harmful range of consumption. You are probably dependent on alcohol and unable to function without it. Your drinking will most likely be harming you physically, socially and occupationally.
It is extremely dangerous to stop drinking suddenly, if you are alcohol dependent, you must seek professional help to reduce or stop your alcohol consumption.
