Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS)

Obsessive thoughts about alcohol use and compulsive behaviours toward drinking, as assessed by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), are proposed to be important in the craving of alcohol.^[1] The OCDS can be split into two subscales:^[1]

• obsessive thoughts of drinking (items 1–6; score range 0–20)
• compulsive drinking (items 7–14; score range 0–20).

The OCDS has excellent test–retest correlation, and high internal consistency.^[1] In general, when drinking is present, there is an elevation of the OCDS score.^[1]

Reference:
[1] Anton RF, Moak DH, Latham P. The Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale: a self-rated instrument for the quantification of thoughts about alcohol and drinking behavior. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1995; 19 (1): 92–99.

[2] Allen JP, Wilson VB (eds). Assessing alcohol problems: a guide for clinicians and researchers. 2^nd edition. NIH Publication No. 03-3745. Revised 2003.

[3] Chick J, Anton R, Checinski K, et al. A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol dependence or abuse. Alcohol Alcohol 2000; 35 (6): 587–593.