Sensation scale (SS) (Maisto et al., 1980) consists of 26 items that are divided into 6 subscales measuring the subject’s current perceptions about a variety of sensations that often are associated with alcohol but are not specifically attributed to alcohol during testing: Gastro-Intestinal subscale measures sensations felt in the stomach (4 items), Anesthetic subscale measures sensations associated with loss of feeling or decreased sensitivity to feelings (9 items), Central Stimulant subscale measures sensations involving effects on the brain, or what is commonly called “getting high” (4 items), Impaired Function subscale measures perceived changes in certain abilities or skills (3 items), Warmth/Glow subscale measures effects associated with blushing sensations (3 items), and Dynamic Peripheral subscale measures sensations associated with excitation, including changed breathing and heart rate (3 items). We used 5 subscales in our analysis and excluded the Gastro-Intestinal subscale that does not appear to discriminate effectively between subjects who consumed alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages (Maisto et al., 1980). We added General subscale incorporating all items except the items “warm” and “relaxed” instead (Ramchandani et al., 1999b).
