Scoring:
Item responses on the CAGE are scored 0 or 1, with a higher score an indication of alcohol problems. A total score of 2 or greater is considered clinically significant.
Developed by Dr. John Ewing, founding Director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Cahpel Hill, CAGE is an internationally used assessment instrument for identifying alcoholics. It is particularly popular with primary care givers. CAGE has been translated into several languages.
The CAGE questions can be used in the clinical setting using informal phrasing. It has been demonstrated that they are most effective when used as part of a general health history and should NOT be preceded by questions about how much or how frequently the patient drinks (see “Alcoholism: The Keys to the CAGE” by DL Steinweg and H Worth; American Journal of Medicine 94: 520-523, May 1993.
The exact wording that can be used in research studies can be found in: JA Ewing “Detecting Alcoholism: The CAGE Questionaire” JAMA 252: 1905-1907, 1984. Researchers and clinicians who are publishing studies using the CAGE Questionaire should cite the above reference. No other permission is necessary unless it is used in any profit-making endeavor in which case this Center would require to negotiate a payment.
