Substance use can affect risk, clinical presentation, functioning, treatment engagement, and treatment outcomes. Providers should assess substance use at intake and throughout care to identify changes in use, associated risks, and treatment needs.
What should I consider?
When assessing substance use, consider:
- Substance type, frequency, amount, and pattern of use
- Recent increases or changes in use
- Intoxication, withdrawal, overdose, or other acute safety concerns
- Co-occurring mental health symptoms or other risk concerns
- Impact on functioning, judgment, relationships, and treatment
- Readiness or motivation for change and available supports
- Need for additional treatment, specialty care, a higher level of care, or other resources
Substance use screening and assessment tools
The Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS) tool is designed for adults.
It includes:
- TAPS-1: Screening
- TAPS-2: Brief assessment for individuals who screen positive
It can be self-administered or clinician-administered.
Resource: NIDA - Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use Tool (TAPS)
Screening to Brief Intervention (S2BI) is designed for adolescents. It uses frequency-of-use questions to categorize substance use into different risk categories and can be self-administered or clinician-administered.
Resource: Screening to Brief Intervention (S2BI)
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is designed for adults and screens for:
- Alcohol intake
- Potential alcohol dependence
- Experience of alcohol-related harm
It can be self-administered or clinician-administered and is available in approximately 40 languages.
The Brief Screener for Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs (BSTAD) is designed for adolescents and uses frequency-of-use questions to identify risky substance use.
Resource: NIDA - Brief Screener for Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs (Adolescents)
The Drug Abuse Screen Test (DAST-10) is designed for adults and assesses drug use, excluding alcohol and tobacco, and related consequences. It includes scoring guidelines to assist with identifying risk level and suggested actions in conjunction with clinical judgment.
CRAFFT is designed for adolescents ages 12–21 and is intended to identify substance use and related risks. It can be self-administered or clinician-administered.
Resource: CRAFFT