🧠 Drug Use Screener (DAST-10)

The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) is a ten-question screen used in clinics worldwide to flag problematic drug use: the inability to stop, guilt, family conflict, neglect, illegal activity, withdrawal, and medical harm. Each "yes" scores one point, and the total sorts into risk bands from none to severe.

This page administers the DAST-10 with its standard scoring. It is an educational screen, not a diagnosis, and a high score is a reason to seek help, not a verdict. Effective treatments exist at every level of severity.

How to use this screener

Answer for the past 12 months, honestly. The screen only works on truthful answers, and nobody sees them but you.

Scoring

One point per "yes." The bands:

The questions escalate deliberately: early ones catch use patterns, later ones catch consequences (withdrawal, medical harm, illegal activity). Endorsing the later questions drives the score into the higher bands fast, which matches clinical reality.

Worked example

Someone answers yes to non-medical use, using more than one drug, guilt, and a partner complaining: 4 points. Moderate risk: the pattern is established and generating consequences, and a clinical conversation now can prevent worse.

Someone answers yes to eight questions including withdrawal and medical problems: substantial risk bordering on severe. This is past the self-help stage; professional assessment is the move.

Treatment works

Substance use disorders are among the most treatable behavioral health conditions. Options include counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy, medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders (buprenorphine, naltrexone, methadone) that cut relapse and overdose risk dramatically, peer support groups, and residential programs for severe cases. Most people use several in combination.

Medication-assisted treatment deserves emphasis because stigma still blocks it: for opioid use disorder, buprenorphine and methadone roughly halve mortality. That is not a crutch; it is medicine. The SAMHSA helpline (1-800-662-4357) connects to local options free and around the clock.

If you are worried about someone else

Lead with specific observations and care, not accusations: "I have noticed you missing work after using, and I am worried about you." Offer concrete help: a ride to an appointment, sitting with them while they call the helpline. Avoid ultimatums you will not enforce and avoid covering up consequences, which shields the use.

Take care of yourself too. Family support groups (Al-Anon, Nar-Anon) exist for exactly this, and a counselor can coach the boundary-setting that helps both of you. For alcohol-specific screening, see our AUDIT test.

DAST vs AUDIT vs ASSIST: which screen when

Clinics keep three screens in the drawer, each with its territory. The DAST-10 covers non-medical drug use in ten quick questions, best for general drug screening. The AUDIT is alcohol-specific, with ten questions graded by frequency, and remains the gold standard for alcohol use disorders. WHO's ASSIST is the broadest: it scores tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, opioids, and "other" separately, producing a risk score per substance.

In practice they are often combined: AUDIT for the drinker, DAST-10 for drug concerns, ASSIST when the picture is complex. A high score on any of them points the same direction: a clinical conversation, not self-diagnosis.

What to expect from treatment

Walking into treatment is less dramatic than portrayed. Assessment comes first: a clinician maps the substances, patterns, health effects, and life context, then matches intensity to need. Mild cases may get brief counseling and monitoring; severe cases may start with medically supervised withdrawal, especially for alcohol and sedatives where withdrawal can be dangerous.

Core treatment has three pillars. Behavioral therapies (cognitive behavioral therapy, contingency management, motivational interviewing) teach skills and reshape triggers. Medications treat opioid, alcohol, and nicotine use disorders directly, cutting cravings and overdose risk. Peer support (12-step, SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery) supplies the community that sustains change.

Recovery is measured in better days, not perfection. Relapse rates resemble other chronic illnesses like hypertension: a return to use signals the plan needs adjusting, not that the person failed. Most people who recover do so after several attempts, and each attempt teaches something the next one uses.

Finding help starts with one call: the SAMHSA helpline (1-800-662-4357) routes to local options, and many communities have walk-in assessment centers. Insurance usually covers treatment under parity laws; uninsured patients can ask about state-funded programs and sliding-scale clinics. The hardest part is the first appointment, and it gets easier from there.

For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.