Within the same interview session 67% of SDPS probands with current AUDs and 82% of current AUD offspring endorsed enough alcohol problems to meet DSM-IV AUD criteria but denied having a general alcohol problem. Those denial rates were higher than the levels predicted in Hypothesis 1 and occurred despite deniers reporting averages of nine to 11 maximum drinks across probands and offspring. If a clinician had asked these men and women general questions about their drinking status (e.g., “describe your drinking” or “how much do you drink”) that health care deliverer probably would not have recognized their patient’s drinking problem. The high rate of denial reported here was not anticipated in subjects with higher education and many life achievements, individuals who might have had an advantage in noting that a general alcohol problem was present. However, despite their heavy drinking and multiple alcohol-related problems, their high level of functioning might have convinced these subjects that they did not meet their stereotype of what individuals with AUDs are like.
