Alcohol Use Inventory

Purpose: Designed to assess the nature of and problems associated with alcohol use
pattern.

Population: Adults and adolescents 16 years of age and over.

Scales: Primary Scales measuring Beneifts, (Social Improvement, Mental Improvement,

Manage Moods, Marital Coping, Gregarious, Compulsive, Sustained), Consequences
(Loss of Control, Role Maladaptation, Delirium, Hangover, Marital Problems),
Concerns and Acknowledgements (Quantity, Guilt and Worry, Help Before,
Receptivity, Awareness), Second Level, Enhanced, Obsessed, Disruption 1, Disruption
2, Anxious Concern, Receptive Awareness, and Alcohol Involvement

Time: (35-60) minutes.

Authors: John L. Horn; Kenneth W. Wanberg, F. Mark Foster.

Publisher: NCS Assessments

Description: The Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI) is a self-report inventory comprised of

24 scales designed to assess patterns of behavior, attitudes, and symptoms pertaining to
the use of alcohol of individuals 16 years of age or older who drink to some extent. It
was developed for use with individuals admitted to an alcoholism treatment program.
The AUI reflects the multiple condition theory about drinking problems and has evolved
from studies of the features of a single aspect of alcoholism. The AUI is not appropriate
for use with individuals who do not drink. The AUI is designed to provide operational
indicators to describe patterns of alcohol use, allowing mental health workers to identify
and understand different kinds of alcoholics.

Scoring: The Primary Scales focus on the "benefits," "styles," "consequences," and
"concerns and acknowledgments" of drinking. There are six second-level scales derived
from factor analysis of the relationships among the primary scales. The third level score
is a measure of broad involvement with alcohol. Total raw scores for both the hand
scoring and the computerized forms, are plotted on a graph so the decile rank are read.

Reliability & Validity: The AUI presents internal consistency reliabilities and test-
retest information on the scales from a number of different years and groups. The third-
level scale and second-level scales have higher coefficients than the primary scales as
expected. Of the Primary Scales, most coefficients ranged from .65-.80. The scales
appear to be reasonably associated with problem drinking.

Norms: The AUI was standardized on a sample of 1290 people applying for first time
inpatient alcohol treatment. The mean age was 39.16, (SD= 11.89) and the mean for
years of education were 11.50 (SD= 2.75). There were about5 15% women, 8% Black,
and 21% Hispanic. About 45% were married or living in a “marriage-type”
relationship. Other than that, there is not a good demographic description of the makeup
of the norming group.

Suggested use: A useful assessment tool when working with individuals with alcohol
problems. The scales can be interpreted based on the benefits, styles, consequences and
concerns associated with alcohol use, and is helpful in treatment. Combinations of
scores have been developed into typologies which indicate ways to relate to the client,
and can help with treatment planning.