past year; and Yes, during the past year [24]. Three 10-point Likert scale readiness “rulers,” [25, 26] adapted from a previous primary care trial [27], were used to assess readiness to change, the importance of change, and confidence in the ability to change. For example, response options for the question “How important is it to you right now to change your drinking?” included 0 = “I don’t drink; does not apply;” 1–3 = “not important;” 4–6 = “somewhat important;” and 7–10 = “very important.” For this analysis, responses were dichotomized as: somewhat or ready to change (4–10) versus not (1–3); somewhat or very important to change (4–10) versus not (1–3); and somewhat or very confident in ability to change (4–10) versus not (1–3).
