CAGE questionnaire for alcohol: scoring and limits

CareOps editorial team · November 8, 2026 · 5 min read

Mental wellness information and service guidance published by CareOps.

The CAGE is four yes-or-no questions, and a doctor can ask them in less time than it takes to take your blood pressure. That speed is why it has lasted since the 1980s. It is also why it misses things. Here is what each letter stands for, how the score is read and when another check gives a clearer picture.

What does CAGE stand for? #

John A. Ewing described the CAGE questionnaire in JAMA in 1984 as four interview questions that had proved useful in spotting alcohol problems. The name is a memory aid built from the first letter of each topic:

1. C — Cut down: whether you have ever felt you should drink less.
2. A — Annoyed: whether other people’s comments about your drinking have bothered you.
3. G — Guilty: whether you have felt bad or guilty about your drinking.
4. E — Eye-opener: whether you have had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or ease a hangover.

Notice what is missing: none of the four asks how much or how often you drink. The CAGE looks at the experiences around drinking, not the amount.

How the CAGE questionnaire is scored #

Each yes counts as 1 point and each no as 0, so the total is 0 to 4. The questions ask about any time in your life, not just recently. Someone who cut back years ago can still answer yes to some of them.

Ewing’s paper does not set a numeric cut-off, but 2 or more is the commonly used line, and it is the line our free check uses. A review of 3 reliability and 16 validity studies found that people give much the same answers when they retake it, with test-retest reliability of 0.80 to 0.95. Across hospital and clinic settings it picked up about 71% of people with alcohol abuse or dependence and correctly cleared about 90% of those without.

Limits of the CAGE #

The same review found the CAGE did not perform well in white women, pregnant women and college students, and that its results in primary care were mixed. It is also not designed to catch less severe patterns, such as drinking a lot on weekends without the guilt or morning drinking the questions ask about. A later primary care study found the 3-question AUDIT-C performed significantly better than a version of the CAGE for spotting risky drinking.

So a score of 0 or 1 doesn’t settle the question if you are drinking more than you would like. For current amounts and frequency, see what your AUDIT-C score means. A score of 2 or more is a reason to look more closely, and the review recommends following a positive screen with a proper clinical evaluation.

Take the CAGE free #

Our version is four yes/no questions about your whole life and takes under a minute. You see your total and what it suggests, with no account needed.

After a yes #

A yes on any of the four is worth a minute of reflection rather than alarm. Next to each one, note roughly when it happened and whether it still does. If something still happens, write one line about the most recent time: where you were, how you felt beforehand and what the drink was doing for you. Patterns are easier to change once you can see them. For practical ideas, see checking your drinking habits. If you drink daily and feel shaky or unwell when you stop, talk to a doctor before cutting back suddenly.

CareOps Maeumi is an AI counseling app that starts with short self-checks like this one, then helps you explore what drinking is doing for you, whether that is easing stress or filling a quiet evening. It remembers earlier sessions, so you can pick up where you left off by voice or text. The first session is free, and you can use it alongside care from a licensed professional.

This guide shares mental wellness information. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services where you are. Support and contact information.