A drinking log (Trinkprotokoll, also called a drinking diary, Trinktagebuch) is your ongoing record of when, what and how much you drink, and whether you are keeping to your own rules. In the alcohol MPU (medical-psychological assessment, Medizinisch-Psychologische Untersuchung), it serves above all as evidence if you take the route of controlled drinking instead of abstinence. A useful log is one that is kept honestly, without gaps and in such concrete terms that it matches what you say in the interview.
What is a drinking log for the MPU?
A drinking log is a written record of your alcohol consumption over a longer period. It makes visible how you manage your drinking behaviour today. In the MPU, it is part of the evidence you can present in the "present" phase of the psychological interview, alongside proof of abstinence (Abstinenznachweise) and course certificates.
A fixed official template for the drinking log is not described in the sources we rely on. How exactly you keep it is best clarified during your preparation (Vorbereitung). The following notes are therefore to be understood as guidance, not as a mandatory format.
What is the drinking log used for?
The drinking log is used above all with controlled drinking. This route is only possible if there is no finding of dependence and you are living a plausible, permanently stable concept, typically in cases classified as alcohol risk (A3) or a lack of ability to separate drinking and driving (A4). Unlike with abstinence, there is no single lab value here that shows "0". That is why documentation is needed, for example a drinking log, a diary or coaching reports.
The log shows the assessor that your concept does not just exist on paper, but is lived in everyday life. It thereby supports the third pillar of the assessment: stability, i.e. a change that has been tested over a sufficient period of time. When controlled drinking comes into question at all is explained in the guide Controlled drinking or abstinence.
When does a drinking log not help?
A drinking log does not help if abstinence is required in your case. This applies to dependence (A1), as a rule also to advanced misuse (A2, where controlled drinking is only a narrow exception), repeat cases and very high per mille values, as a rule of thumb above ~2.0‰. In these cases, you need laboratory evidence according to CTU criteria, such as urine or hair EtG or PEth, over 6 or 12 months. A log cannot replace required proof of abstinence.
What goes into a drinking log?
A drinking log should contain everything that shows you are keeping to your own rules. A concept for controlled drinking is based on fixed rules on amounts, drinking days, exceptions and emergency strategies, and on the basic rule of 0.0‰ at the wheel. The log should reflect these points.
Useful details include, for example:
- Date: also on days without alcohol, so that the log has no gaps.
- Occasion and situation: at home, a party, meeting friends.
- Drink and amount: as specifically as possible, for example with the size of the glass.
- Rule kept?: does the consumption fit your set amounts and drinking days?
- Driving on this day?: and how did you safely separate drinking and driving?
- Special situations: temptation, stress, a planned exception and how you dealt with it.
Which details exactly are expected depends on the individual case. The list is a general recommendation, derived from the components of a concept for controlled drinking.
What can a table for the drinking log look like?
A simple table with one row per day is enough as a structure. The following rows are only an example of the layout, not a recommendation of amounts.
| Date | Occasion/situation | Drink and amount | Drinking day under the rules? | Rule kept? | Drove? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Work, evening at home | no alcohol | no | yes | yes | – |
| Fri | Meal with friends | Drink + specific amount | yes | yes | no (train) | Journey home planned in advance |
| Sat | Birthday | Drink + specific amount | Exception under the rules | yes | no | Stopped as planned |
| Sun | Stress in the family | no alcohol | no | yes | yes | Noticed a craving, went for a walk |
What matters is not a nice layout, but that the entries are made regularly and promptly. A log that is only filled in retrospectively shortly before the MPU does not come across as very credible.
Why must the drinking log be honest?
The drinking log must be honest because the assessor checks all information for consistency. The case file, the questionnaire, lab values and your account in the interview are compared with one another. In alcohol cases, lab values such as GGT, GOT, GPT, CDT and MCV are also taken during the medical examination.
Contradictions are noticed immediately. A glossed-over log is therefore more dangerous than an honest one that also includes a difficult situation now and then. What matters is that you can show how you dealt with it.
How do you use the log in the interview?
In the psychological interview, you use the log as evidence for the question "What has changed since then, and how do you prove it?". You should be able to explain your rules: why these amounts, why these drinking days, what do you do in risk situations? The log shows that you keep to them.
Bring the log to the MPU, together with your ID, course or therapy certificates and your glasses. How the interview is structured can be found in the guide MPU questions in the psychological interview and on the page about MPU preparation.
What you can do now
- Clarify whether controlled drinking is an option for you, on the basis of the case file and without a finding of dependence.
- Set out your rules in writing: amounts, drinking days, exceptions, emergency strategies and 0.0‰ at the wheel.
- Start the log today and keep it daily and promptly, also on days without alcohol.
- Have the format and content checked by a professional, so that the log fits your case. Find suitable preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a drinking log if I live abstinently?
With abstinence, what counts above all is laboratory evidence such as urine or hair EtG or PEth over 6 or 12 months. The drinking log is primarily evidence for the concept of controlled drinking.
Is there an official template for the drinking log?
The sources we rely on do not name a fixed official template. A simple table with date, occasion, drink, amount and whether the rules were kept is a practical structure; details are best clarified during preparation.
What do I do if I have broken a rule?
Record it honestly. A glossed-over log puts your credibility at risk, because the assessor compares your statements and lab values; discuss the incident in your preparation and check whether your concept is sustainable.
Does a drinking log replace proof of abstinence?
No. If abstinence is required in your case, you need laboratory evidence according to CTU criteria from an accredited laboratory.
