CAGE-AID: CAGE Adapted to Include Drugs

What is the CAGE-AID?

The CAGE-AID (CAGE Adapted to Include Drugs) is a brief 4-item screening questionnaire that extends the original CAGE alcohol screener to cover all substance use, including illicit drugs and misused prescription medications. It was developed by Brown and Rounds in 1995 and is widely used in primary care, addiction medicine, and emergency settings.

Like the original CAGE, each item is answered Yes (1) or No (0). A score of 2 or higher is a positive screen for a possible substance use disorder and warrants a more full evaluation. The CAGE-AID takes less than 2 minutes to administer and requires no special training.

The CAGE-AID is particularly useful when a clinician suspects poly-substance use or when the original CAGE (alcohol only) may miss drug-related problems. For alcohol-specific screening, AUDIT or CAGE are more sensitive. For adolescent populations, the CRAFFT is preferred.

CAGE-AID Screener

For clinical use and educational reference only. A positive screen does not constitute a clinical evaluation. Clinical judgment is required.

CAGE vs CAGE-AID

The only difference is the scope, CAGE-AID adds drugs to each question.

You specifically need an alcohol use disorder screen and suspect no other substance involvement.

You need a combined alcohol and drug screen, the most efficient option for general substance use screening.

You need granular alcohol consumption data, hazardous vs harmful drinking distinction, or World Health Organization-standardized scoring.

Administer CAGE-AID in HiBoop

Substance use screening built into your clinical workflow, automated scoring, SBIRT integration, and longitudinal tracking.