Cited by 450Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesOpioid Use Disorder TreatmentHomelessness and Social Issues

The Addiction Severity Index at 25: Origins, contributions, and transitions

McLellan, A. Thomas, Cacciola, John C., Alterman, Arthur I., Rikoon, Samuel H., Carise, Carise·2006·The American Journal on Addictions

Abstract

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is a multi-dimensional interview used to measure the substance use, health, and social problems of those with alcohol and other drug problems, both at admission to treatment and subsequently at follow-up contacts. This article first discusses the conceptual and practical importance of the ASI's multi-dimensional approach to measuring addiction severity, as illustrated by two case presentations. The second section of the paper reviews how this measurement approach has led to some important findings regarding the prediction and measurement of addiction treatment effectiveness. The third section describes the historical and practical considerations that have changed the instrument over time, details the problems with the instrument, and describes our efforts to correct those problems with the ASI-6. Finally, some recent ASI data collected from over 8,400 patients admitted to a nationally representative sample of U.S. addiction treatment programs are presented.

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Crossref · 10.1080/10550490500528316

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Authors
McLellan, A. T., Cacciola, J. C., Alterman, A. I., Rikoon, S. H., & Carise, C.
Affiliations
  • Treatment Research Institute (US)
  • DeltaMetrics (United States) (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
McLellan, A. Thomas
Venue
The American Journal on Addictions
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2006-03-04
Volume
15
Issue
2
Pages
113-124
ISSN
  • 1055-0496 (ISSN-L)
  • 1521-0391
OpenAlex
W2026646521
Cited by
450
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 42 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 45
FWCI
7.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal on Addictions (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Homelessness and Social Issues
Keywords
Addiction Severity Index, alcohol and drug problems, addiction treatment effectiveness, substance use, treatment admissions, follow-up evaluation
MeSH terms
Adult, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Status, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Male, Opioid-Related Disorders, Pregnancy, Prognosis, Severity of Illness Index, Social Problems, Comorbidity, Crack Cocaine, Treatment Outcome, Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry), Substance-Related Disorders, Cocaine-Related Disorders

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