A self-report questionnaire was used to evaluate lifetime drinking history, drug use, and alcoholism treatment history (Hesselbrock et al. 1983). Specifically, the following 7 variables represented these domains: (1) Childhood behavior problems were reported on a 26-item self-report questionnaire; (2) A drinking milestones composite was formed by taking the mean of three “milestone” events: age of the initiation of regular drinking, age of first getting intoxicated regularly, and age of onset of the period of heaviest drinking; (3) Alcohol dependence symptoms were assessed with 28 items concerning experiences in the preceding 3 months that were related to drinking; (4) Benzodiazepine use was assessed with a single question on the use of these drugs during the preceding 3 months (or during a recent period of heavy use); (5) Other drug use was assessed with 8 items pertaining to the use of amphetamines, barbiturates, marijuana, heroin, synthetic narcotics, other narcotics, cocaine/crack, hallucinogens, and PCP; (6) Self-medication reasons for drinking was assessed by asking participants to rate the importance (1 = “not at all,” 2 = “fairly important,” 3 = “very important”) of
