Accuracy of drinkers' recall of alcohol consumption in a field setting

In a previous field study of how feedback on intoxication might affect an individual's decision to drive, it was found that a small sample of people were quite accurate in their recall of alcohol consumption. The accurate estimation of alcohol consumption clearly is of potential value in driving while intoxicated (DWI) prevention programs. However, because the finding of accurate recall is inconsistent with other reports in the literature, it was decided to replicate the testing with a larger sample. Randomly selected patrons leaving taverns and bars were asked to participate in a study, and individuals agreed to answer a consumption questionnaire and have their blood alcohol level (BAL) measured. Results indicated that subjects were very accurate in their estimates of consumption when self-reports were compared with Breathalyzer readings (r = .70, p less than .01). An additional trend of some interest was that men were apparently more accurate in their estimates of consumption than women even though they generally had higher BALs. The present study replicates and extends the earlier findings concerning the ability of college-age drinkers to estimate alcohol consumption in field settings accurately.