Abstract
There has been little research examining the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as a work-place screening tool. In the current study a large scale sample ( n = 4193) of police personnel completed the 10 AUDIT questions and two readiness-to-change questions. The sample represented 67% of all members of an Australian State Police organization. Analysis of AUDIT scores showed that 65% of the sample scored in the low risk of hazardous alcohol consumption range, 32% (33% of males and 24% of females) scored in the at risk for harmful alcohol consumption range and 3% scored in the range indicating risk of alcohol dependence. Age emerged as a clear risk factor of hazardous drinking patterns. The 18-25-year age group recorded higher average alcohol consumption, higher rates of risk of abnormal drinking behaviour, higher rates of adverse consequences from drinking alcohol and higher total AUDIT scores than other age groups. This was consistent for both males and females. Of those scoring in the at-risk range, 72.5% reported that they did not have a drinking problem. Sixty percent also reported that it would be easy to stop drinking. This study exemplifies how the AUDIT can be used to provide strong evidence for the need for work-based intervention programmes. Further, it can be used to target particular groups within the organization at risk of harmful alcohol use.