The ability of a Self-Administered Alcohol Screening Test (mSAAST) to detect future excessive alcohol consumption in...

A modified Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test (mSAAST) was prospectively administered to 625 narcotic addicts participating in a randomized clinical control trial to study its effectiveness in detecting future excessive alcohol consumption. At entry into the study, of 105 patients categorized as active alcoholics, 84 (80%) obtained a positive score on the mSAAST. Of 77 patients initially identified as being at risk for developing alcoholism (potential alcoholics) by mSAAST scores, 31 (40%) subsequently developed characteristics of excessive alcohol consumption. Of the 321 patients classified as nonalcoholic by history as well as mSAAST score, a significantly lesser proportion (15%) developed characteristics of excessive alcohol consumption (p less than 0.001). These findings suggest the mSAAST to be a useful adjunctive indicator of persons at risk of developing excessive consumption of alcohol. It is probable that the usefulness of the mSAAST extends beyond narcotic-dependent populations and may be of value in identifying the potential for excessive alcohol consumption in other populations.