Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ)
Last reviewed 01/2018
SEVERITY OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE QUESTIONNAIRE (SADQ-C)
NAME _____________________________________AGE __________ NO._______
DATE :
Please recall a typical period of heavy drinking in the last 6 months. When was this?
Month : ………………………………… Year : ……………………
Please answer all the following questions about your drinking by circling your most appropriate response.
During the period of heavy drinking
1. The day after drinking alcohol, I woke up feeling sweaty
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
2. The day after drinking alcohol, my hands shook first thing in the morning.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
3. The day after drinking alcohol, my whole body shook violently first thing in the morning if I didn’t have a drink.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
4. The day after drinking alcohol, I woke up absolutely drenched in sweat.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
5. The day after drinking alcohol, I dread waking up in the morning.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
6. The day after drinking alcohol, I was frightened of meeting people first thing in the morning.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
7. The day after drinking alcohol, I felt at the edge of despair when I awoke.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
8. The day after drinking alcohol, I felt very frightened when I awoke.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
9. The day after drinking alcohol, I liked to have an alcoholic drink in the morning.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
10. The day after drinking alcohol, I always gulped my first few alcoholic drinks down as quickly as possible.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
11. The day after drinking alcohol, I drank alcohol to get rid of the shakes.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
12. The day after drinking alcohol, I had a very strong craving for a drink when I awoke.
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
13. I drank more than a quarter of a bottle of spirits in a day (OR 1 bottle of wine OR 7 beers).
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
14. I drank more than half a bottle of spirits per day (OR 2 bottles of wine OR 15 beers).
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
15. I drank more than one bottle of spirits per day (OR 4 bottles of wine OR 30 beers).
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
16. I drank more than two bottles of spirits per day (OR 8 bottles of wine OR 60 beers).
| ALMOST NEVER | SOMETIMES | OFTEN | NEARLY ALWAYS |
Imagine the following situation :
1. You have been completely off drink for a few weeks
2. You then drink very heavily for two days
How would you feel the morning after those two days of drinking?
17. I would start to sweat.
| NOT AL ALL | SLIGHTLY | MODERATELY | QUITE A LOT |
18. My hands would shake.
| NOT AL ALL | SLIGHTLY | MODERATELY | QUITE A LOT |
19. My body would shake.
| NOT AL ALL | SLIGHTLY | MODERATELY | QUITE A LOT |
20. I would be craving for a drink.
| NOT AL ALL | SLIGHTLY | MODERATELY | QUITE A LOT |
The Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire was developed by the Addiction Research Unit at the Maudsley Hospital. It is a measure of the severity of dependence. The AUDIT questionnaire, by contrast, is used to assess whether or not there is a problem with dependence. The SADQ questions cover the following aspects of dependency syndrome :
- physical withdrawal symptoms
- affective withdrawal symptoms
- relief drinking
- frequency of alcohol consumption
- speed of onset of withdrawal symptoms
Scoring Answers to each question are rated on a four-point scale :
- Almost never - 0
- Sometimes 1
- Often 2
- Nearly always 3
• A score of 31 or higher indicates “severe alcohol dependence”.
• A score of 16-30 indicates “moderate dependence”.
• A score of below 16 usually indicates only a mild physical dependency.
• A chlordiazepoxide detoxification regime is usually indicated for someone who scores 16 or over.
• It is essential to take account of the amount of alcohol that the patient reports drinking prior to admission as well as the result of the SADQ.
• There is no correlation between the SADQ and such parameters as the MCV or GGT.
Reference:
- Warwick Medical School. Clinical Pharmacology Newsletter (July 2007).