Questions were included about why individuals abstain from drinking or limit their drinking habits (Sher and Rutledge, 2007). Participants were asked to indicate their reasons for not drinking, such as because of its taste, religious obligations, fear of becoming an alcoholic, fear of getting into trouble, concern with not being able to control oneself while under the influence, etc. Each item was rated on a Likert-type scale such that responses ranged from 1 (Not at all Important) to 3 (Very Important). A sum score was computed for each individual such that higher scores indicated the importance of the given reason to abstain from drinking.
