I was able to locate four questionnaires dealing with alcohol use and other behaviour. They were the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol & Related Conditions, the National Longitudinal Surveys, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the Survey of Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Schoolchildren in England 2002. The studies focus on national trends of the United States of America, excepting the English study. There were a number of surveys for which data and/or method summaries were available, but not access to the questionnaire including National Alcohol Survey, Monitoring the Future, Christchurch Health and Development Study (New Zealand), and the Harvard College Alcohol Study. I could not find anything on the Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire. The studies have basic quantitative questions relating to how much is usually drunk. Except for the English study, they contain questions on five or more drinks in a few hours. Data is also collected about how old one was at the time of their first drink, excluding sips from another's drink. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conducted the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). This is a very large survey as it samples 43,000+ American citizens aged 18 and older and has a length of 129 pages when converted to PDF format. It covers alcohol, tobacco, drug use, moods, general behaviour, and family history. In a departure from other surveys a significant amount of questions relate to experiences, especially when using or during withdraw of a substance. There is some focus on alcohol as the section is broken down between liquor, coolers, beer, wine, and the subject as a whole. Questions are largely based on a 12-month period. Basic questions amount of alcohol drank and binge-drinking patterns (5 or more drinks in a few hours) are included. Again, this survey goes beyond the numbers of drinks and asks questions relating to experiences while or after drinking. This includes social situations/locations while drinking, withdraw symptoms, efforts to quit, and questions about family experiences with alcohol. It is conducted via computer-assisted interviews. Some are personal interviews and others are telephone. A form of computer assistance is common for large surveys. The National Longitudinal Surveys are available concerning youth (NLSY) over two cohorts - 97 and 79. They have a question base much larger than the subjects of alcohol or drugs. Questions on Schooling, peers, use of time, employment, health, marriage, income, and others are included. A 427-page document may contain less than 20 questions relating to alcohol. These are good data sets, however, as a new wave is conducted each year. Thus, the NLSY for '79 has data on the cohort extending into the new millennium. NLSY79 interviews were carried out annually until 1994 when follow up interviews became biannual. The 12,686 strong participant cohort was aged 14-22 in 1979 and is nationally representative. The NLSY97 surveyed approximately 9,000 youths aged 12-16 by the last day of 1996. A parent questionnaire was also included in the first round allowing researchers to gather data on family history and household environment. Youth are followed up annually, but the parent survey was only administered with the first wave. The NLSY asks about behaviour in the last 30 days. Besides questions relating to amount and frequency of drinking, it also asks about drinking before work or school and tests knowledge on consequences of drinking. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) biannually samples a nationally representative cohort of 9 -12th grade students (approximately corresponding to post-junior leaving cert, but pre-leaving cert). In the 2003 survey 158 schools participated resulting in 15,214 usable questionnaires. The questionnaire is self-administered and given in the classroom. It is short (87 questions over 21 pages) in comparison to the other surveys here. A multitude of subjects is covered including health, safety at school, depression, sexual activity, tobacco, alcohol, diet, exercise, and marijuana use. Most of the questions ask respondents to list activity over the last 30 days with depression/suicide and fights taking a time horizon of 12 months. The National Centre for Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research conducted the Survey of Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use Among Schoolchildren in England 2002. This self-administered survey gathered data from pupils aged generally 11 to 15 from 321 schools resulting in 9,859 answered questionnaires. It covers the topics of cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs in 148 questions. Using a slightly different format, it has some basic graphics to represent pints, half pints, large cans, etc. and also uses a tick box design. Cigarette questions are limited, but do ask about family feelings toward the participant's smoking habits and also how they purchase their cigarettes. Alcohol and illegal drugs are broken down into a number of different categories. There are 6 categories for alcohol plus a section to write in anything unmentioned. Each category asks for the amount drank in the last seven days. Illegal drugs are split into 14 categories plus a write in section. Each category asks if one has heard of the drug, been offered the drug, tried the drug, how old one was when one first tried the drug, when one last used the drug, and, if applicable, how one takes the drug.
Useful websites for survey links and downloads:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bureau of Labor Statistics National Longitudinal Surveys
National Longitudinal Surveys Investigator
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Health Youth!
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