How to ask about alcohol use
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Asking every patient about alcohol is part of routine care. Neutral, specific questions get honest answers.
Step by step
Ask neutrally
"Do you sometimes drink beer, wine or other alcohol?" [1]
Quantity and frequency
How often, how many drinks on a typical day, and how often 4 (women) or 5 (men) or more on one occasion. [2]
Use a short screen
AUDIT-C uses those three questions to score risk. [2]
Consequences
Work, family, driving, injuries, legal problems. [2]
Dependence and withdrawal
Morning drinking, shaking, sweating, seizures or hallucinations when stopping. [2]
Readiness
Ask what they think about their drinking and if they want help. [3]
Summarize and plan
Give clear advice and offer support. [1]
Common errors
- Asking "You don't drink, do you?"
- Not asking about withdrawal.
- Lecturing instead of listening.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Opioid withdrawal after surgery
- Liver failure with hepatic encephalopathy
- Esophageal varices bleeding
- Lymphoma
- Generalized seizure
- Alcoholic cerebellar degeneration
8 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
- AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)
- NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.