With this Guide, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) introduces a simple, quick, empirically derived tool for identifying youth at risk for alcohol-related problems. If you manage the health and well-being of children and adolescents ages 9–18 years, this Guide is for you.

Why choose this tool?
It can detect risk early: In contrast to other screens that focus on established alcohol problems, this early detection tool aims to help you prevent alcohol-related problems in your patients before they start or address them at an early stage.

It’s empirically based: The screening questions and risk scale, developed through primary survey research, are powerful predictors of current and future negative consequences of alcohol use.

It’s fast and versatile: The screen consists of just two questions that you can incorporate easily into patient interviews or pre-visit screening tools across the care spectrum, from annual exams to urgent care.

It’s the first tool to include friends’ drinking: The “friends” question will help you identify patients at earlier stages of alcohol involvement and target advice to include the important risk factor of friends’ drinking.