The Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS) in current drinkers with different degrees of alcohol problems

The Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS) is a questionnaire developed to characterize the situations where alcoholics in treatment drank excessively. The purpose of the present study was to extend the understanding of this instrument as a research and diagnostic tool by applying it to drinking situations in individuals who have never been diagnosed as alcoholics, but who may have problems due to alcohol. Seventy-three current drinkers (32.1 +/- 9.98 years) were examined with a version of the IDS suitable for nonalcoholic individuals. Using the CAGE test we categorized the subjects in five groups according to their score. Correlational analysis revealed that the IDS subscale scores increased significantly with the severity of drinking problems. The CAGE score, the factor-derived scale Negative Situations, being male, and a preference for drinking alone were also correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed, while age was correlated with none of the variables of interest. To facilitate the analysis of the profiles of drinking situations, the IDS subscales underwent a factor analysis that rendered two factor-derived scales, suggesting that drinking occurs both in positive and in negative situations. In persons with more alcohol problems, according to their high CAGE scores, there was more drinking in negative situations that in positive ones. Accordingly, we confirmed that the profiles of drinking situations seen in problem drinkers indicated that situations related to negative emotions are more important determinants to drink. Implications of a shift from drinking in positive to drinking in negative emotional situations are discussed. We further substantiated the value of this test instrument for studies on drinking situations and for studies in nonalcoholic individuals.