The Alcohol Responsibility Scale

Abstract

The Alcohol Responsibility Scale (ARS), developed by Worell and Timility in 1981, is a 24-item psychological measure designed to assess the attribution of causality for problem drinking. Specifically, the scale measures an individual’s tendency to locate the Locus of Control (LOC) for their drinking behavior either internally (self-responsibility) or externally (fate, environment, or others). This instrument is crucial for understanding how perceived control influences recovery prognosis in populations struggling with alcoholism and is typically utilized in clinical and research settings focused on addiction treatment.

Keywords

Alcohol Responsibility Scale, Locus of Control, Alcoholism, Problem Drinking, Attribution, Responsibility, Addiction, Psychological Scale, Worell and Timility.

Authors

Worell, J., Timility, J.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Alcohol Responsibility Scale is to quantify an individual’s perceived accountability regarding their alcoholic behavior and potential for sobriety. By utilizing a forced-choice format, the scale contrasts internal explanations (e.g., personal choice, effort, commitment) against external explanations (e.g., disease model, fate, environmental pressures, or actions of others).

The resulting score provides clinicians and researchers with insight into the client’s explanatory style, which is often predictive of engagement in treatment and risk of relapse. The scale is rooted in a behavioral perspective, emphasizing personal choice and responsibility over deterministic views of substance abuse, thereby influencing therapeutic approach.

Construct

The ARS specifically measures a domain-specific variant of the Locus of Control construct, tailored exclusively to the context of alcohol abuse. Locus of Control refers to the degree to which individuals believe they have control over the events that affect them. In the ARS, this construct is polarized along two dimensions:

• Internal Responsibility: Reflects the belief that one’s drinking behavior and subsequent recovery are primarily the result of personal decisions, effort, and commitment (e.g., “I am responsible for choosing my way of life”).
• External Responsibility: Reflects the belief that one’s drinking is determined by factors outside of personal influence, such as genetics, societal pressures, bad luck, or the behavior of others (e.g., “My drinking is a ‘disease'” or “Things that have happened to me have pushed me towards alcoholism“).

Validity

The original psychometric validation of the ARS is documented primarily within the volume edited by Lefcourt (1981). Subsequent studies have provided evidence for the scale’s construct and predictive validity. Johnson and colleagues (1991) found that the ARS was conceptually comparable to Rotter’s scale when applied to an alcoholic population, suggesting it adequately measures the intended Locus of Control construct within this specific domain.

Crucially, the study by Johnson et al. (1991) established predictive validity by demonstrating that high scores on external Locus of Control—as measured by both the ARS and Rotter’s scale—were significantly associated with a heightened risk of alcohol relapse. This suggests that the scale successfully identifies a psychological factor critical for predicting long-term sobriety outcomes.

Reliability

The source content does not explicitly provide internal consistency coefficients (such as Cronbach’s Alpha) or detailed test-retest reliability data from the initial 1981 development. However, the subsequent research that utilized the scale alongside established, reliable instruments (like Rotter’s scale) implies acceptable conceptual and operational reliability for measuring the responsibility construct in this clinical domain. Researchers are typically advised to consult published follow-up studies, such as those cited in the references, for specific reliability metrics derived from applied research contexts.

Factor Analysis

Specific details regarding the empirical factor structure of the Alcohol Responsibility Scale are not included in the provided documentation. Given its construction as a forced-choice inventory targeting the internal-external attribution dichotomy, it is generally conceptualized as a unidimensional scale measuring the degree of perceived responsibility for the drinking problem. Further factor analytic research would be required to ascertain if the 24 items load cleanly onto a single factor or if they separate into distinct sub-factors corresponding to different types of external attribution (e.g., fate, disease, or interpersonal blame).

Instrument

Test Type: Domain-specific Locus of Control Inventory / Forced-Choice Personality Scale

Format: 24 forced-choice items, requiring the respondent to select one of two opposing statements (labeled ‘a’ or ‘b’) that they “more strongly believe.”

Language Available: English (Original publication)

Population Group: Clinical and research populations dealing with alcohol abuse, dependence, or undergoing treatment for alcoholism.

Age Group: Adults.

Population Details: The scale is specifically designed for individuals who have identified as having a drinking problem, often utilized in rehabilitation or recovery settings.

Test Methodology: Self-report questionnaire, typically administered in a standardized paper-and-pencil or digital format.

Keywords

Responsibility Attribution, Alcohol Dependence, Rotter’s Scale, External Control, Internal Control, Alcohol Relapse, Behavioral Assessment, Addiction Psychology.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information Not Available

Affiliation Email addresses: Information Not Available

Correspondence Address: Information Not Available

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1981

Permissions and Fees: The Alcohol Responsibility Scale was published within an academic compilation volume (Lefcourt, 1981). While it may be used in academic research settings, commercial or large-scale clinical use should comply with the copyright policies of the original authors (Worell and Timility) or the publisher, Academic Press Inc.

Reference’s

• Furnham, A., & Steele, H. (1993). Measuring Locus of Control: A critique of general, children’s, health- and work-related Locus of Control questionnaires. British Journal of Psychology, 84, 443-479.
• Johnson, E. E., Nora, R. N., Tan, B., & Bustos, N. (1991). Comparison of two Locus of Control scales in predicting relapse in an alcoholic population. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72, 43-40.
• Lefcourt, H. M. (Ed.). (1981). Research with the Locus of Control construct: Volume 1: Assessment methods. New York, NY: Academic Press Inc.
• The scale is referenced in an abstract available online: http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pms.1996.82.3c.1202?journalCode=pms

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Items of the The Alcohol Responsibility Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

I more strongly believe that:

1. a. I can “make it” if I want to hard enough. b. If the cards are “stacked against me”‚ I will never “make it”.
2. a. I am the victim of bad luck of fate. b. I have chosen a poor solution to some of life’s problems.
3. a. I have learned to become an alcoholic. b. Heredity played a major role in my becoming an alcoholic.
4. a. My drinking is a “disease”. b. My drinking is a poor solution to problems in my life.
5. a. If I could understand why I got this way‚ I would be well on my way to becoming cured. b. My behavior reflects what I lace the most value in—alcohol or family‚ job‚ etc.
6. a. I am “sick” or “ill”. b. I am “irresponsible”.
7. a. I was born to be an alcoholic. b. The experiences I have had and how I have reacted to them played a large part in determining whether I would become an alcoholic.
8. a. I can be the biggest “con man’ in the world. b. I am the victim of society and others around me.
9. a. I am just no good and I probably never will be. b. I can be rehabilitated but only with my help.
10. a. If I make up my mind to quit drinking‚ I can do it. b. Without the “right breaks”‚ I don’t stand a chance at being sober.
11. a. The Service is the main reason why I was forced in to drinking in the first place. b. I can choose to refuse a drink even if others expect me to have a drink with them.
12. a. What happens to me‚ as an alcoholic‚ is up to me. b. I don’t have very much control over the direction my life takes.
13. a. My staying sober involves taking responsibility for my behavior and placing more value on sobriety than on drunkenness. b. If I could get the “right breaks” I could kick the habit.
14. a. I would give anything to stay sober. b. If I placed more value on staying sober than in drowning my troubles in alcohol‚ I would stay sober.
15. a. Other people can drive me to drink. b. I have repeatedly chosen the easy way out of bad situations.
16. a. I can make the choice not to drink no matter how my parent have treated me. b. My parents don’t realize how much they have put me on the road to alcoholism.
17. a. Physical problems often cause me to drink too much. b. My drinking too much often causes me physical problems.
18. a. If people understood me better‚ they would realize that I can’t help myself. b. I earn most of the contempt others show towards me.
19. a. I have made the choice of becoming an alcoholic‚ not other people. b. If society were different‚ I wouldn’t have had to become an alcoholic.
20. a. I need a rehabilitation program that will help me. b. I need to take an active part in my own treatment‚ whenever I seek help.
21. a. I have given my life over to alcoholism. b. Alcoholism has taken over my life.
22. a. I certainly get a “raw deal’ in life. b. I generally get what I ask for in life.
23. a. When pressure builds up‚ I can’t keep from drinking. b. Even when things are tough‚ I am responsible for staying sober.
24. a. I can control other people with my drinking behavior. b. When I am drunk‚ I am an easy victim of other people’s manipulations.
25. a. If anyone really cared about me‚ I wouldn’t have to drink. b. If I cared enough about other people‚ I wouldn’t drink.
26. a. I can’t justify my drinking by focusing on a “rough childhood” or a lost marriage. b. A woman is the major cause of my being pushed into alcoholism.
27. a. I am responsible for choosing my way of life. b. Things that have happened to me have pushed me towards alcoholism.
28. a. Alcoholism is a behavior problem that only I can change. b. Doctors will soon find a cure for my drinking.
29. a. I have made the choice to drink or not to drink every day. b. When a way of life‚ like alcoholism‚ took over my life it was almost impossible to change.
30. a. I can’t excuse myself for drinking just because I get frustrated by other people. b. When the hospital staff gives me a “bad time‚” they are driving me to drink.
31. a. My alcoholism was likely caused by my being influenced by other drinkers. b. I have likely chosen the kind of friends that give me an excuse to drink.