Validation of the Bayesian Alcoholism Test compared to single biomarkers in detecting harmful drinking.

Aims: Conventional tests for alcohol dependence often fail to detect hazardous and harmful alcohol use (HHAU) accurately. We previously validated the Bayesian Alcoholism Test (BAT) for the detection of HHAU among males. This uses 15 biochemical and clinical variables, including questionnaire data to calculate the probability of harmful (>80 g alcohol/day), hazardous (40-80 g/day) and 'moderate' (<40 g/day) drinking.