What Is The Addiction Severity Index?

There are many different comprehensive instruments that are used by clinicians as structured or semi-structured interviews. These instruments determine many different aspects of addiction and treatment. One such instrument is the Addiction Severity Index. The ASI attempts to gather valuable information about a person’s life that can help to identify what may contribute to their substance abuse problems. The Addiction Severity Index can be applied to both alcohol and other drug areas (Hester & Miller, 2003). It was created about 20 years ago by A. Thomas McLellan and his associates at the Center for Studies of Addiction in Philadelphia (Makela, 2004). It was the first standardized assessment tool of its kind. The Addiction Severity

The Addition Severity Index is a well-known and widely used tool for use in treating alcoholics and other addicts. It is an approximately 45 to 60 minute long interview comprised of questions about the patient’s life. The interview covers eight subscales focusing on many different parts of a person’s life which helps to provide a comprehensive understanding of their life. The severity is scored on a ten point scale ranging from no problem or treatment indicated to extreme problem, treatment absolutely necessary. The scale helps the interviewer determine the seriousness of a client’s problem and to plan an effective course of treatment. The ASI can also be found in a self-administered paper-and-pencil form and an interactive CD-ROM multimedia version for the computer (Maleka, 2004). This test has been found to be reliable by most but some others do not agree. It is difficult to say whether or not the test is a reliable and valid measure of treatment due to the complexity of the questions. Once a client’s psychosocial needs are identified it is easier to find treatment suitable for that client. There are some problems with the test such as it is not properly designed to cover such a wide population (Maleka, 2004). Other problems include irrelevant questions for alcoholics and other drug users, difficulty remembering relevant information, and lying and exaggerating information for the best interest of the patient (Maleka, 2004). Use of the ASI can be found to be particularly problematic when used with the homeless or double-diagnosis patients. The ASI can be used in a wide range of treatment settings including clinical, research, and administrative. This comprehensive evaluation is a useful tool that helps professionals understand the