About 30% to >50% of individuals with AUDs or other SUDs evidence denial (Akinici et al., 2001; Basturo et al., 2009; Clark et al., 2016; Fendrich and Johnson, 2005). False negative reports of a general substance-related problem can include statements that the person did not take the substance when he or she had been using, admissions of use but denial of high levels of consumption or associated problems that occurred, or a person admitting to substance related difficulties but denying an overarching problem with the substance (Sher and Epler, 2004; Wing 1996). For alcohol, the focus of the current analyses, the latter might be a form of denial that is especially problematic for clinicians who only ask general questions about substance use and problems rather than using standardized screening questionnaires, like the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT ) (Sanchez-Roige et al., 2019). In such situations, the clinician might ask questions like “How much do you drink?” or “How would you describe your drinking pattern?”. The answer they might receive from many individuals who fit the definition of an AUD could be something like “I’m a moderate social drinker”.
