Alcohol and Drug Use Tests

The Mehrabian Alcohol and Drug Use scales are offered here primarily for student and academic researchers. Also, if the scales are to be used in clinical or commercial situations, it is strongly suggested that findings based on the present instruments be checked against additional data from alternative tests and interview materials.

Definitions and Background
The Mehrabian Alcohol Use and Drug Use scales are designed to provide brief, though reliable and valid, assessments of extent of alcohol use and drug use, respectively. Norms provided for the two scales can be used to decide whether an individual's extent of alcohol use (or drug use) is indicative of substance abuse or substance dependence.

The Alcohol Use Scale contains 11 items and the Drug Use Scale contains 7 items. Scale items are written in three different questionnaire formats and items of the two scales are intermixed when presented to subjects. The manual provides formulas for computing a total score for each scale.

The Alcohol Use and Drug Use scales are intended primarily for experimental use. In the event they are employed in clinical settings, it is strongly advisable that findings based on the present instruments be checked against additional data from alternative tests and interview materials.

Sample Items
Test Features
Reliability & Validity Data
Alpha internal consistency coefficients, reported by Mehrabian (2001), were .91 for the Alcohol Use Scale, .91 for the Drug Use Scale, and .79 for the Treatment for Depression Scale.

Convergent and construct validity data are reviewed in the manual (Mehrabian, 1994a). Relevant data also were reviewed by Mehrabian (2001, pp. 81-83).

References:
Mehrabian, A. (1994). Manual for the Alcohol and Drug Use Scales. (Available from Albert Mehrabian, 1130 Alta Mesa Road, Monterey, CA, USA 93940).

Mehrabian, A. (1997). Relationships among measures of Trait Anxiety, Depression, Panic, Somatization, Alcohol Use, and Drug Use in the general population. Unpublished manuscript, UCLA.

Mehrabian, A. (2001). General relations among drug use, alcohol use, and major indexes of psychopathology. Journal of Psychology,135, 71-86.

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