ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the use of brief, validated assessment instruments to aid in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with alcohol-related disorders. Empirically derived assessment questionnaires are widely used in research, but are less often utilized by practicing clinicians and internists. Such underutilization is regrettable: besides providing a standardized, economical means of assessing alcohol-related phenomena, psychometric assessment instruments offer considerable predictive power over simple quantity-frequency and laboratory assessment measures in identifying hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence.
