LOSS OF CONTROL AND INABILITY TO ABSTAIN - THE MEASUREMENT OF AND THERELATIONSHIP BETWEEN 2 CONSTRUCTS IN MALE ALCOHOLICS

The constructs ''loss of control'' and ''inability to abstain'' have b een used extensively in alcohol research. Examination of the literatur e, however, reveals inconsistencies in the ways researchers have opera tionalized and measured these constructs and a dearth of empirical inv estigation of the validity of the constructs. The current study examin es a number of methods of operationalizing loss of control and inabili ty to abstain and investigates the relationship of the two constructs with each other. Ninety-seven male alcoholics who participated in an o utpatient conjoint alcoholism treatment study provided data on pre-tre atment alcohol consumption and self-report measures of lifetime drinki ng behavior. Nine interview or questionnaire items that best approxima ted items used in the literature to measure inability to abstain and l oss of control were chosen for analysis. Items measuring both construc ts were highly intercorrelated and were associated more strongly with quantity rather than frequency of alcohol consumption, suggesting sign ificant overlap between the constructs. None of the items were associa ted with a particular drinking pattern. The results provide support fo r a unitary dimension of impaired control, as used in the alcohol depe ndence syndrome, and suggest that the value of loss of control and ina bility to abstain as distinct and meaningful constructs should be reco nsidered.