CAGE Questionnaire Calculator

Written by Great Medico

Updated September 24, 2026 •2 min read

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Substance-use calculations need especially careful interpretation because a score is not the same as a diagnosis or a measure of safety. CAGE Questionnaire Calculator focuses on the limited question its fields can answer.

What this calculator does

CAGE Questionnaire Calculator uses Have you felt you should Cut down?, Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?, Have you felt Guilty about drinking?, and Have you needed an Eye-opener in the morning? to calculate CAGE screening score. It is built around the exact fields displayed in this plugin rather than a generic version of the topic. Substance-use calculators can organize exposure or screening information, but they cannot determine impairment, withdrawal safety, diagnosis, or prognosis on their own. When there is risk of overdose or dangerous withdrawal, clinical care takes priority over the score.

How to use it

Enter or select Have you felt you should Cut down?, Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?, Have you felt Guilty about drinking?, and Have you needed an Eye-opener in the morning?. Use the units offered by the calculator and choose the option that matches the actual clinical or timing situation. Check date entries and laboratory units before relying on the output. Keep amounts, dates, and questionnaire answers within the same exposure or screening timeframe requested by the tool.

How the calculation works

CAGE gives one point for each “yes” answer to Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener. The calculator totals 0–4 and labels 2 or more as a positive CAGE screen.

Example

Using the sample values prefilled in this calculator, the primary result is 0 points (Below common CAGE cutoff). This worked example shows how the plugin’s own default inputs flow through the implemented method; replace them with the correct patient, laboratory, imaging, or personal values before interpreting a result.

How to interpret the result

A total of 2 or more is labeled a positive CAGE screen in this calculator. That means further alcohol assessment is appropriate; it does not establish alcohol use disorder or quantify current drinking on its own.

Limitations and notes

CAGE is a historical screen for lifetime/problem drinking and does not detect all people who could benefit from intervention; NIAAA specifically favors validated consumption screens such as AUDIT-C for current heavy drinking. A positive CAGE result requires assessment rather than self-diagnosis.