Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

First of all, if you are acknowledging that you are developing an alcohol addiction, that is good! And yes, you may use this to check on yourself. But if you receive a score that indicates that you do have signs of developing or having an alcohol use disorder, please report this to a professional so you can get diagnosed and receive treatment.

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Well, if you happen to be a rehabilitation and addiction specialist, then you don't have to pass them on and can work on conducting further examinations. But if you are not a rehabilitation or addiction specialist, you are advised to recommend the patient to a specialist who can make an official diagnosis. The MAST Test is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool.

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Yes. Other than looking at the total score, you may refer to specific answers to get a good grasp of the patient. There are questions like the following:

Have you ever been in a hospital because of drinking?

• Have you ever lost a job because of your drinking?
• Have you ever been arrested for drunk driving, driving while intoxicated, or driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs? How many times?

If they answered yes to the questions above and they even indicated how many times they got arrested because of alcohol abuse, those are causes for concern. Even if they scored lower than a good number of other alcoholic patients you have, that does not necessarily mean they are better off than the other patients.

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