The Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Abuse Screening Test (CDAAST)
Client Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________
Directions: The following questions concern information about your involvement with drugs and/or alcohol. Carefully read each statement. Then decide whether your answer is YES or NO and check the appropriate space. Please be sure to answer every question.
1. Alcohol or drug use caused me to use poor judgment and drive right afterwards because I felt “fine” to drive, wasn’t far to go, and I had no other way home: ___ Yes ___ No
2. I thought I was okay to drive after drinking and/or using drugs but I wasn’t: ___ Yes ___ No
3. I got a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th DUI after swearing it would never happen again: ___ Yes ___ No
4. I could kill somebody if I’m driving impaired: ___ Yes ___ No
5. I completed one or more alcohol or drug abuse treatment programs, yet I couldn’t drink just 1 or 2 drinks every time so ended up getting in trouble after drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
6. I believe that since I was able to quit drinking or using for awhile (after drinking and/or using caused me problems) and I don’t crave it, miss it, or even think about it, I now don’t have a drinking or drug problem: ___ Yes ___ No
7. I think about drinking or using drugs daily: ___ Yes ___ No
8. I drink use drugs to keep the buzz (good feeling): ___ Yes ___ No
9. I like to drink or use too much: ___ Yes ___ No
10. When I pick up the first drink and/or drug I think about the next one: ___ Yes ___ No
11. When I pick up the first drink I really enjoy the taste: ___ Yes ___ No
12. I like the feeling alcohol and/or drugs gives me when I’m under its power: ___ Yes ___ No
13. I know I shouldn’t drink and use drugs but I do it anyhow: ___ Yes ___ No
14. I can’t predict what will happen after I drink and/or use the first drug: ___ Yes ___ No
15. It’s tough to do the right thing while drinking using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
16. My decision making process becomes irrational and my behavior and personality changes when I drink and/or use drugs. I argue a lot when I drink and/or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
17. I’m not honest when I drink use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
18. Occasionally I drink or use too much and get into trouble. I have said and done things that I normally wouldn’t have done when sober: ___ Yes ___ No
19. I got nasty or goofy when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
20. I do not have the self control to know when enough is enough: ___ Yes ___ No
21. When I drink or use drugs I can’t control myself the way I do when sober: ___ Yes ___ No
22. When I start drinking using drugs I don’t want to stop: ___ Yes ___ No
23. I sometimes have trouble stopping after 1 or 2 drinks: ___ Yes ___ No
24. I can never have just one drink: ___ Yes ___ No
25. I continue to drink and use once I get started: ___ Yes ___ No
26. Sometimes I drink use drugs more than I should: ___ Yes ___ No
27. I think about drinking and/or using drugs more than I should: ___ Yes ___ No
28. I can’t stop my craving or desire to drink and/or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
29. I drink or use drugs too often: ___ Yes ___ No
30. I drink and use drugs too much: ___ Yes ___ No
31. I passed out from drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
32. I drank and used drugs a lot while alone: ___ Yes ___ No
33. I drank used drugs at a friends house and he or she got upset with me: ___ Yes ___ No
34. Drinking and drugging and the consequences of drinking drugging has taken up too much time in my life: ___ Yes ___ No
35. I have been hospitalized for drinking using drugs and could have died: ___ Yes ___ No
36. I have a hard time having a good time without drinking using: ___ Yes ___ No
37. I have drunk and/or used drugs a lot on occasions and still functioned okay: ___ Yes ___ No
38. I sometimes drink and/or use drugs to get drunk or plastered: ___ Yes ___ No
39. I have wasted a lot of time and money drinking and/or using: ___ Yes ___ No
40. I like to get wasted every time I drink use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
41. I have been on drinking drug using binges for 2 or more days in a row: ___ Yes ___ No
42. I have missed out on important events while drinking and/or using: ___ Yes ___ No
43. I have missed out on the memories of vacations when I drank and/or used: ___ Yes ___ No
44. I threw up while drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
45. I have passed out while drinking and/or using drugs and didn’t come home: ___ Yes ___ No
46. I could never walk out of a bar unless it closed or I passed out: ___ Yes ___ No
47. Someone said, “I let a stranger take me home when I was drinking and/or using: ___ Yes ___ No
48. My bartender knows my name and my usual drink: ___ Yes ___ No
49. I switched from hard liquor to beer and wine but that didn’t help: ___ Yes ___ No
50. I like to party and drinking and/or drugging at parties usually gets me in trouble: ___ Yes ___ No
51. I can’t meet decent members of the opposite sex while drinking and/or drugging: ___ Yes ___ No
52. I said or did things while drinking drugging that I regretted later: ___ Yes ___ No
53. Drinking or drugging caused me to bring up the past and make matters worse: ___ Yes ___ No
54. My sex life has suffered due to my excessive drinking and drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
55. I have slept with very ugly men and/or women while drinking and or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
56. My drinking and/or drug use has resulted in unprotected sex and or a child: ___ Yes ___ No
57. I cheated on my wife or husband while drinking or doing drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
58. When I was drunk or using drugs I got pregnant or I got someone pregnant
when I didn’t want to: ___ Yes ___ No
59. I had an abortion or someone I got pregnant had an abortion due to my drinking
or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
60. My drinking and/or drug use has kept me from having positive experiences, it lessened my school and business opportunities and I have shown up at important meetings after using drugs or with alcohol on my breathe: ___ Yes ___ No
61. My drinking drug use has caused me public embarrassment: ___ Yes ___ No
62. My drinking drug use has caused a decline in my job performance: ___ Yes ___ No
63. I have missed classes due to being too hung over to go: ___ Yes ___ No
64. I didn’t complete projects when I drank or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
65. I have doubted my business decisions when I drank or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
66. My boss has noticed alcohol on my breath and has been concerned: ___ Yes ___ No
67. My boss has said my career was in jeopardy due to my drinking and/or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
68. I needed to drink and/or use drugs to reward myself at the end of my work day: ___ Yes ___ No
69. I needed to drink and/or use drugs to be able to fall asleep: ___ Yes ___ No
70. I needed to drink and/or use drugs to function: ___ Yes ___ No
71. My drinking has triggered other drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
72. I drank or used drugs in the morning: ___ Yes ___ No
73. I hid bottles of alcohol: ___ Yes ___ No
74. I have sneaked drinks: ___ Yes ___ No
75. My drinking and or drug use has caused me to worry a lot. ___ Yes ___ No
76. Drinking and/or drug use has caused me to lose my temper and I said or did things I regretted later: ___ Yes ___ No
77. I drank and/or did drugs to forget problems, needed it to relax, go to sleep, handle anger, stress, loneliness, depression, and just to cope with life: ___ Yes ___ No
78. I drank and or used drugs to get rid of a hangover or self medicate: ___ Yes ___ No
79. When I drank and/or used drugs I didn’t think about the consequences: ___ Yes ___ No
80. When I drank and/or did drugs I stole someone’s prescription medications: ___ Yes ___ No
81. I continue to drink and or use drugs because I like it although it gets me in trouble: ___ Yes ___ No
82. I’m not always responsible when I drink or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
83. My drinking and or drug use has always caused negative consequences: ___ Yes ___ No
84. I have stolen from others while drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
85. I have a loss of respect from others due to my drinking and/or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
86. I have lowered my standards due to my drinking: ___ Yes ___ No
87. My drinking and/or drug use has cost me a lot of money: ___ Yes ___ No
88. I have threatened death by doing crazy dangerous things while drinking
and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
89. Due to money I have spent on drinking and/or drugs, and associated problems caused by my drinking or drug use, I didn’t have enough money to pay the bills: ___ Yes ___ No
90. I got into physical fights easier when I was drinking and or using drugs,
I wouldn’t walk away: ___ Yes ___ No
91. I got beat up while drinking and or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
92. I hurt others emotionally and or physically when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
93. I got stabbed/shot and almost lost my life when I was drinking and or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
94. My drinking and or drug use has caused me to break the law other than a
possession charge: ___ Yes ___ No
95. My drinking and/or drug use has put me in jail or prison other than a sales or
possession charge: ___ Yes ___ No
96. I went to jail in pajamas, drunk: ___ Yes ___ No
97. I prefer to hang out with heavy drinkers and/or drug users: ___ Yes ___ No
98. I trusted the wrong friends when I drank and used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
99. I have said the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time while
drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
100. My drinking or drug use made me act like a jerk: ___ Yes ___ No
101. My drinking or drug use has affected my self respect, health, job,
and reputation: ___ Yes ___ No
102. I look at people differently when I drink or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
103. I lied to my friends when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
104. My personality changes when I drink and/or use drugs. I get moody
or argumentative: ___ Yes ___ No
105. I missed the social drinker that I use to be: ___ Yes ___ No
106. I didn’t like me when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
107. My drinking and/or drug use has disappointed a lot of people in my life: ___ Yes ___ No
108. My drinking or drug use has caused family scorn – I’m the family outcast: ___ Yes ___ No
109. My drinking and drug use has caused family embarrassment and a loss of respect from others: ___ Yes ___ No
110. I don’t pay attention to important things when I drink and use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
111. I repeatedly did not come home to my family until Sunday after blowing
the Friday paycheck: ___ Yes ___ No
112. I fell into the water while drinking and/or using drugs and could have easily
drowned: ___ Yes ___ No
113. I have not come home after drinking or drugging a lot: ___ Yes ___ No
114. I hid my drinking or drug use from others: ___ Yes ___ No
115. Several family members, even my kids, have seen me drunk or passed out
after drinking and drugging: ___ Yes ___ No
116. My children have told me they are worried about my drinking and drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
117. I have become a negative role model for my children due to drinking
or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
118. I repeatedly disappoint my children and family when I drink or use drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
119. I passed out when I went to see my kids: ___ Yes ___ No
120. I have lost relationships with my kids due to my drinking and drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
121. My family tree is full of people with drinking or drug problems: ___ Yes ___ No
122. I worry about passing on my drinking and/or drug problem to my kids: ___ Yes ___ No
123. I often became rude or loud when I drank and/or used drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
124. I woke up in a place that I shouldn’t have been: ___ Yes ___ No
125. My friends started avoiding me when I started drinking or drugging a lot: ___ Yes ___ No
126. My drinking and/or drug use has caused verbal and or physical fights: ___ Yes ___ No
127. I made passes with other men and or women in front of my significant other while I was drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
128. A significant person in my life has threatened to leave me or has left me due to my drinking and/or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
129. I drank and/or used drugs a lot to handle the breakup of a significant relationship: ___ Yes ___ No
130. My drinking and/or drug use has caused or has made my health problems worse: ___ Yes ___ No
131. I picked up diseases when drinking and/or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
132. My drinking and/or drug use has caused malnutrition due to skipping meals: ___ Yes ___ No
133. My drinking or drug use has caused me to be lonely: ___ Yes ___ No
134. My drinking and/or drug use has caused me shame, loss of dignity, and guilt: ___ Yes ___ No
135. Drinking or drug use can increase symptoms of my mental problems: ___ Yes ___ No
136. My drinking and/or drug use has caused me to be forgetful: ___ Yes ___ No
137. My drinking or drug use caused others to get my car keys so I wouldn’t drive: ___ Yes ___ No
138. I have had blackouts, shakes, or DT’s due to drinking: ___ Yes ___ No
139. I have urinated in my pants while drinking or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
140. I threw up blood after drinking: ___ Yes ___ No
141. Drinking or drug use has changed my appearance for the worse: ___ Yes ___ No
142. I drank on medication that says, “avoid alcohol”: ___ Yes ___ No
143. My drinking and drug use has hurt, injured, or killed others: ___ Yes ___ No
144. I committed battery on a police officer after drinking and drugging: ___ Yes ___ No
145. My drinking and/or drug use has injured me: ___ Yes ___ No
146. Drinking or drug use has ruined a lot of years of my life: ___ Yes ___ No
147. Alcohol and/or drugs have made a mess out of my life: ___ Yes ___ No
148. I have become homeless due to my drinking or drug use: ___ Yes ___ No
149. I have had thoughts of suicide while drinking or using drugs: ___ Yes ___ No
150. I will fall back to drinking or drug use if I don’t have a good recovery plan: ___ Yes ___ No
The Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Abuse Screening Test (CDAAST) was developed in 2012. The CDAAST is one of the most comprehensive screening tools for drug and/or alcohol abuse. This is a 150-item self-report scale that consists of items that parallel instruments such as the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST). The (CDAAST) has “exhibited valid psychometric properties” and has been found to be “a sensitive screening instrument for the abuse of drugs and/or alcohol. Scoring and interpretation: A score of “1” is given for each YES response, except for items 4, 6, 11, 12, 17, 19, 33, 44, 52, 100, 110, ” Cutoff scores of 6 are optimal for screening for substance use disorders. Using a cutoff score of 6 provides excellent sensitivity for identifying patients with substance use disorders as well as satisfactory specificity (i.e.,
identification of patients who do not have substance use disorders). A score over 12 is definitely a substance abuse problem. Publisher: Charles V. Smith LMHC, LMFT, CAP, NCC Copyright January, 2012
