Drug use questionnaire

DAST-20

This 20-item instrument may be given in either a self-report or in a structured interview format; a “yes” or “no” response is requested from each of 20 questions. It is constructed similarly to the earlier Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), and the DAST items tend to parallel those of the MAST.

The purpose of the DAST is 1) to provide a brief, simple, practical, but valid method for identifying individuals who are abusing psychoactive drugs; and 2) to yield a quantitative index score of the degree of problems related to drug use and misuse. DAST scores are highly diagnostic with respect to a DSM diagnosis of psychoactive drug dependence.

This assessment will take around 5 minutes.

These questions refer to the past 12 months. Circle your response.

QuestionAnswer
Have you used drugs other than those required for medical reasons?Yes / No
Have you abused prescription drugs?Yes / No
Do you abuse more than one drug at a time?Yes / No
Can you get through the week without using drugs?Yes / No
Are you always able to stop using drugs when you want to?Yes / No
Have you had "blackouts" or "flashbacks" as a result of drug use?Yes / No
Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?Yes / No
Does your spouse (or parents) ever complain about your involvement with drugs?Yes / No
Has drug abuse created problems between you and your spouse or your parents?Yes / No
Have you lost friends because of your use of drugs?Yes / No
Have you neglected your family because of your use of drugs?Yes / No
Have you been in trouble at work because of drug abuse?Yes / No
Have you lost a job because of drug abuse?Yes / No
Have you gotten into fights when under the influence of drugs?Yes / No
Have you engaged in illegal activities in order to obtain drugs?Yes / No
Have you been arrested for possession of illegal drugs?Yes / No
Have you ever experienced withdrawal symptoms (felt sick) when you stopped taking drugs?Yes / No
Have you had medical problems as a result of your drug use (e.g. memory loss, hepatitis, convulsions, bleeding, etc.)?Yes / No
Have you gone to anyone for help for a drug problem?Yes / No
Have you been involved in a treatment program specificallyrelated to drug use?Yes / No
Submit Restart

Your DAST-20 Score:0

Substance Abuse Risk LevelDAST-20 ScoreASAM Standard
Never0
Low1 – 5Level I
Mederate6 – 10Level I or II
Severe11 – 15Level II or III
Very Severe16 – 20Level III or IV

Reference

© Copyright 1982 by Harvey A. Skinner, PhD and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada. You may reproduce this instrument for non-commercial use (clinical, research, training purposes) as long as you credit the author Harvey A. Skinner, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto.

DAST20(Chinese adaptation) © Copyright 2011 by the Youth Drug Problem Concern Working Group, Narcotics Control Committee of Macao SAR government, . You may reproduce DAST20 (Chinese adaptation) for non-commercial use (clinical, research, training purposes).

ASAM : Mee-Lee, D., & American Society of Addiction Medicine., 2001

If you have any further concerns in relation to the score of DAST-20, please contact Lok Heep Club’s social workers.