Adolescent Drinking Index

The ADI quickly assesses alcohol abuse in adolescents with psychological, emotional, or behavioral problems; identifies referred adolescents who need further alcohol abuse evaluation or treatment; and defines the type of drinking problem the adolescent is experiencing. The ADI can also help in developing treatment plans and recommendations.This 24-item rating scale measures the severity of drinking problems, differentiating between alcohol use considered to be normal in adolescent development and alcohol use that is not considered to be normal. ADI items focus on the problems that arise from alcohol use, not on the amount or the frequency of consumption. ADI items were selected to represent the four domains of problem drinking indicators: loss of control of drinking; social indicators; psychological indicators; and physical indicators.The ADI can be administered to individuals or groups by counselors, teachers, or others who work with adolescents. Adolescents with 5th-grade reading skills can complete the ADI, and scoring is quick and easy.The ADI is normed on three groups ages 12-17 years: adolescents in school, adolescents under evaluation for psychological problems, and adolescents in substance abuse programs. Internal consistency coefficients across adolescent samples are uniformly high, exceeding .90. The cutoff score has an 82% accuracy rate, and the ADI correlates .60 to .63 with the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST).Note: The ADI Professional Manual is necessary for administration and scoring. PAR no longer carries the manual, but forms are still available.

Adele V. Harrell, PhD, and Philip W. Wirtz, PhD