Do you have a drink problem? That is the question.

There are a number of questionnaires designed to see whether people have an alcohol problem. However, they are often made up of a number of questions, often do not cover the whole range of unhealthy alcohol use and can be time-consuming to administer. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the U.S. has recommended a single question to assess people's drinking habits: "How many times in the past year have you had five (or four for women) drinks in a day?" The question has been found to be fairly accurate in identifying unhealthy alcohol use in primary-care patients.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311111011.htm