Survey Questionnaire on Substance Abuse?

Question by Scorpiorus: Survey questionnaire on substance abuse?
I have to prepare a questionnaire on prevalence of substance abuse. If I ask directly ‘Do you abuse substance?’ then most people will answer no. So how can I ask the same thing indirectly? Thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by epicfail2011
Of course most users will deny being substance ‘abusers’ – that’s just part of the whole denial game that goes on with people who drink or use drugs. They don’t want to admit to themselves that they are addicted. Also, the notion of ‘substance abuse’ is subjective. Some people consider drinking a 6-pack of beer abuse, while others would say 12 beers a day is abuse. I suggest that you collect data in this manner and then draw your conclusions:

“Do you use alcohol?”
“How many drinks per day on average?”
“Do you drink every day?” [A ‘yes’ answer here strongly indicates abuse, in my opinion]
“Is alcohol creating health, family, or relationships problems for you?”
“Have you ever considered seeking help for your alcohol use?” [Again, a ‘yes’ answer is telling]

Repeat those 5 questions for various substances, like:
Tobacco
Marijuana
Cocaine
Pain pills [there’s more pain pill addicts than you might imagine]

What do you think? Answer below!

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