Simple four question 'CAGE' test can determine whether you're a functioning alcoholic

When doctors suspect you might have a dependency on alcohol, they’ll go through the steps to help you overcome your struggles.

But first, they need to confirm whether you’re dependent or not.

Now, this is when they bring in a sneaky criterion, which you might mistake for simple questions or a conversation about your drinking habits.

There are signs that doctors look out for when trying to determine if someone is an alcoholic (Getty Stock Image)

These are the CAGE questions

If you walk into your GP’s room and begin ticking boxes of having symptoms which are in line with excessive alcohol consumption, such as jaundice, the shakes, smelling of booze or whatever else it could be, they’ll whip these out.

According to Healthline, the CAGE questions are less intrusive than to ask a patient outright if they’re an alcoholic.

Studies have found that the use of alcohol is a factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions, and 5.1 percent of global diseases and injuries is attributable to alcohol.

Not only does alcohol consumption causes death and disability early in life, but people aged 20 - 39 years account for around 13.5 percent of total deaths associated with alcohol use, the WHO states.

The CAGE test is really helpful to healthcare professionals (Getty Stock Image)

As binge drinking continues to rise, especially among those aged 18 to 24, it’s a real problem.

It’s also an issue with individuals aged 65 and older, who may not realise that their nightly bottle of wine isn’t normal.

So, if a doctor thinks you have a problem, they’ll ask you these questions.

• Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
• Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
• Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

Why are these questions called CAGE?

That’s simply because it’s an acronym of the questions.

As the Oxford Academic explains, first the doctor asks about Cutting down, then if you’re Annoyed by criticism, or if you feel Guilty, the last question is the real Eye-opener.

For doctors, even answering two or three questions with a ‘yes’ can signify to them that you partake in heavy alcohol consumption.

The CAGE test can tell whether you drink too much alcohol (Getty Stock Image)

Allegedly, this criterion can actually accurately identify people with alcohol dependence around 93 percent of the time when used.

While you can go to the doctor’s office to be asked those questions, it can also be self-administered too - you just need to be honest with yourself.

It can also pick up 91 percent of cases of alcoholism, not just excessive consumption.

It all began when it was developed by Dr. John Ewing in the US, who wrote his findings on the effectiveness of those questions.

When he went on to publish it in 1984, it soon become a staple in health care used as an easy-to-use tool to identify severe alcohol dependence.

The CAGE test can be applied personally too, we just need to be honest with ourselves (Getty Stock Image)

However, it has been adapted to also include substance abuse, such as the use of heroin, cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine, prescription drugs and cannabis.

When a study looking into just how many people were admitted to hospital or treated for alcohol dependency, 65 percent of those were men.

Whether this is down to culture or the nightlife scene, it’s clear that alcohol is a danger to everyone if consumed in excess.

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.