Thus, one may move beyond the identification of a drug problem and obtain a reliable estimate of the degree of problem severity.
It provides a quantitative index of the extent of problems related to drug abuse. Versions are being developed in different languages (French and Spanish). The DAST is brief and inexpensive to administer. Overall, these studies support the reliability and diagnostic validity of the DAST in diverse contexts. Subsequent research has evaluated the DAST with various populations and settings including psychiatric patients (Cocco & Carey, 1998 Maisto et al., 2000 Staley & El Guebaly, 1990), prison inmates (Peters et al., 2000), substance-abuse patients (Gavin et al., 1989), primary care (Maly, 1993), in the workplace (El-Bassel et al., 1997), and adapted for use with adolescents (Martino et al., 2000). The DAST-10 correlates very highly (r = 0.98) with the longer DAST-20 and has high internal consistency reliability for a brief scale (0.92 for the total sample and 0.74 for the drug-abuse sample). Most clients with alcohol-related problems scored 5 or below, whereas the majority of clients with drug problems scored 6 or above on the 20-item DAST. Good discrimination is evident among clients classified by their reason for seeking treatment. The 20-item DAST has excellent internal consistency reliability (alpha) at 0.95 for total sample and 0.86 for the drug-abuse sample. Measurement properties of the DAST were initially evaluated using a clinical sample of 256 drug-alcohol-abuse clients (Skinner, 1982). 
The DAST was modeled after the widely used Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Selzer, 1971). The DAST provides a brief, self-report instrument for population screening, identifying drug problems in clinical settings and treatment evaluation. This instrument takes approximately 5 minutes to administer and may be given in questionnaire, interview, or computerized formats.
The DAST yields a quantitative index of the degree of consequences related to drug abuse. The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) was designed to be used in a variety of settings to provide a quick index of drug-related problems. As well, this information is useful for matching individual needs and readiness for change with tailored interventions. Measures that are both reliable and valid provide tools for health education, for identifying problems (early if possible) in health care and community settings, and for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment. The assessment of drug use and related problems is important for both prevention and clinical care. ASSESSMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE: DRUG ABUSE SCREENING TEST (DAST)
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