Relationships between Clinical Judgment, Self-Report and Breath Analysis Measures of Intoxication in Alcoholics

Author(s)

Mark B. Sobell, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Linda C. Sobell, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Robert VanderSpek, Dede Wallace Center and George Peabody College

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1979

Publication Title

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Volume

47

Issue/Number

1

First Page

204

ISSN

0022-006X

Last Page

206

Abstract/Excerpt

Three studies comparing alcoholics' self-reports, observers' ratings, and breath-test determinations of alcohol intoxication found that (a) alcoholics' self-reports of their recent drinking were valid when they had not been drinking; (b) when they had been drinking, their self-reports were frequently invalid and underreported; (c) incidence of discrepant self-reports was not a function of level of intoxication; and (d) trained observers could identify only 50% to 67% of the subjects who were intoxicated but gave invalid self-reports. Breath analysis for blood alcohol concentration should be a mandatory component of alcohol treatment programs and alcohol treatment outcome evaluations.

DOI

10.1037/0022-006X.47.1.204

ORCID ID

0000-0001-7705-3993

NSUWorks Citation

Sobell, M. B., Sobell, L. C., VanderSpek, R. (1979). Relationships between Clinical Judgment, Self-Report and Breath Analysis Measures of Intoxication in Alcoholics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47(1), 204-206.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/39