Alcohol, tobacco and other substances
Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)
Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) — administration and scoring reference.
Reference information · Official-form reference
- Last content update
- 2026-10-26
- Clinical review
- Not independently reviewed
- Source jurisdiction
- See individual sources
- Coverage
- Official-form reference
| Field | Instrument context |
|---|---|
| Version | WHO ASSIST; substance-specific involvement assessment |
| Respondent | Interviewer |
| Purpose | Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) — administration and scoring reference. |
Administration
Administer the WHO interview with its lifetime and recent-use gates. Record each substance separately and apply the original skip instructions.
Scoring method
Substance-specific involvement scores with weighted items and exclusions; not a single all-substance sum.
Interpretation & limitations
- Use substance-specific involvement scores and the separate injection-use information; follow the WHO manual for substance-specific interpretation.
- Interpret the findings alongside the clinical interview, functioning, history and relevant physical assessment.
- Do not produce an all-substance grand total or treat the injection-use question as another ordinary involvement-score item.
- Use the original instrument and manual for item wording, rating anchors, missing-data rules and any normative conversions. This reference does not establish a diagnosis or select treatment.