There is no question that being charged with a DWI is a traumatic experience. In order to satisfy court requirements for alcohol and drug related arrests, an alcohol evaluation may be necessary. These evaluations are conducted by a state certified chemical dependency agency, and strike fear in the hearts of many. The evaluation is designed to help not only you, but chemical dependency specialists determine if you might have a problem with alcohol.
Clients are understandably concerned and nervous about what the evaluation will consist of, and what types of questions they will be asked. Below is a sample alcohol screening test that is characteristic of the types of questions you could be asked during your evaluation.
This self-assessment quiz was put out by the state of Michigan. The MAST Test (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test) is a simple, self-scoring test that helps assess if you have a drinking problem. Please answer YES or NO to the following questions:
1. Do you feel you are a normal drinker? (“normal” – drink as much or less than most other people) YES or NO
2. Have you ever awakened the morning after some drinking the night before and found that you could not remember a part of the evening? YES or NO
3. Does any near relative or close friend ever worry or complain about your drinking? YES or NO
4. Can you stop drinking without difficulty after one or two drinks? YES or NO
5. Do you ever feel guilty about your drinking? YES or NO
6. Have you ever attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)? YES or NO
7. Have you ever gotten into physical fights when drinking? YES or NO
8. Has drinking ever created problems between you and a near relative or close friend? YES or NO
9. Has any family member or close friend gone to anyone for help about your drinking? YES or NO
10. Have you ever lost friends because of your drinking? YES or NO
11. Have you ever gotten into trouble at work because of drinking? YES or NO
12. Have you ever lost a job because of drinking? YES or 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 or NO
14. Do you drink before noon fairly often? YES or NO
15. Have you ever been told you have liver trouble such as cirrhosis? YES or NO
16. After heavy drinking have you ever had delirium tremens (D.T.’s), severe shaking, visual or auditory (hearing) hallucinations? YES or NO
17. Have you ever gone to anyone for help about your drinking? YES or NO
18. Have you ever been hospitalized because of drinking? YES or NO
19. Has your drinking ever resulted in your being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward? YES or 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 or NO
21. Have you been arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol? YES or NO 22. Have you ever been arrested, even for a few hours because of other behavior while drinking? (If Yes, how many times ________ ) YES or NO
SCORING
Please score one point if you answered the following: 1. No 2. Yes 3. Yes 4. No 5. Yes 6. Yes 7 through 22: Yes
Add up the scores and compare to the following score card: 0 – 2 No apparent problem 3 – 5 Early or middle problem drinker 6 or more Problem drinker