Protocol - Patterns of Substance Use - Alcohol and/or Drug Use
- Age of Initiation of First Cigarette Use - Adult
- Alcohol - 30-Day Quantity and Frequency
- Alcohol - Age of First Use
- Alcohol - Lifetime Use
- Caffeine Intake
- Cigarette Smoking Status - Adolescent
- Cigarette Smoking Status - Adult
- Patterns of Substance Use – Calendar Based Method for Detailed Cannabis Use
- Substance Use Disorder - Past Year - Alcohol
- Substance Use Disorder - Past Year - Drugs
- Substance Use Disorder - Past Year - Tobacco
- Substances - 30-Day Frequency
- Substances - Age of First Use
- Substances - Lifetime Substance Use Disorder
- Substances - Lifetime Use
- Tobacco (non-cigarette) - Product Use
- Tobacco - 30-Day Quantity and Frequency - Adolescent
- Tobacco - 30-Day Quantity and Frequency - Adult
- Tobacco - Age of Initiation of Use - Adolescent
- Tobacco - Age of Offset of Cigarette Use - Adolescent
- Tobacco - Age of Offset of Cigarette Use - Adult
Description
The Timeline Followback – Alcohol and/or Drug Use is a calendar-based, retrospective assessment of alcohol or drug use. It can be completed by self-report, interviewer administration, or computer administration. Respondents complete the calendar by entering how many standard drinks are consumed each day (the number of grams of ethanol in a "standard drink" varies across different countries), or whether or not they used a drug on each day. The timeframe can range from the past 7 days to the past 2 years.
Specific Instructions
The Substance Use and Recovery Working Group (WG) notes that the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method can also be used to capture polysubstance use. Given the time needed to complete this method when assessing multiple substances, investigators should consider feasibility in assessing all substances used when studying polysubstance use and tailor assessment to the specific research question. Investigators should review the other TLFB protocols for examples capturing use of alcohol and marijuana.
When there is an interest in assessing cannabis use, the Substance Use and Recovery WG recommends use of the Patterns of Substance Use – Calendar Based Method for Detailed Cannabis Use protocol for cannabis to capture greater detail in type, amount, and frequency of cannabis used.
The Substance Use and Recovery WG notes that the TLFB has been adapted for specific patterns of use including cannabis and cocaine, alcohol, cannabis co-use (see "General References" for examples).
The Timeline Followback – Alcohol and/or Drug Use instrument and related documentation are copyrighted, and users should review terms of use on the TLFB website (see below).
Protocols may include terms and language that could be triggering to respondents. Investigators are encouraged to have resources in place to help respondents cope with triggers as needed.
Terminology related to substances, substance use, and recovery is fluid. Updates in protocol language may be appropriate based on circumstance. Suggestions for revision have been offered to update answer responses or other components of the questionnaires to account for the constantly changing landscape. These suggestions have not been tested or validated in research studies but may be considered by investigators to enhance relevance.
Availability
This protocol has limited availability; permission required for use.
Protocol
Timeline Followback – Alcohol and/or Drug Use
The Timeline Followback - Alcohol and/or Drug Use instrument is available from the Timeline Followback (TLFB) webpage on the Nova Southeastern University website: https://www.nova.edu/timeline/index.html. The webpage includes documentation supporting administration, including:
- Example calendars (2011–2035),
- Instructions for completing the calendar, and
- TLFB method.
Users should consult the TLFB webpage for accessibility and terms of use:
“The TLFB assessment instrument and related forms are copyrighted. They can be downloaded and used when the following conditions are met: (a) the TLFB will be used for research studies that have no funding or used by clinicians for clinical purposes; and (b) its use will be acknowledged on all TLFB materials that they are "copyrighted and by whom".
Personnel and Training Required
Requirements for training and personnel are describe on the Timeline Followback webpage.
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | Yes |
Mode of Administration
Interviewer-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adolescent, Adult, Senior, Pregnancy
Participants
Adolescents and adults, ages 14 and older
Selection Rationale
The Timeline Followback (TLFB) is a well-established, valid, and reliable instrument that has been used to retrospectively monitor use of a variety of substances (e.g., alcohol, marijuana, cocaine). It can be completed over a variety of timeframes by self-, interviewer-, or computer-administration. The TLFB provides quantitative data of drug use that can be used in a variety of study types. The results can be used to monitor changes in drug use and to provide feedback to individuals to help them change drug use behavior.
Language
English, Other languages available at source
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not Applicable
Protocol Name from Source
Timeline Followback – Alcohol and/or Drug Use
Source
Sobell, L. C., & Sobell, M. B. (1992). Timeline Followback: A technique for assessing self-reported alcohol consumption. In R. Z. Litten & J. Allen (Eds.), Measuring alcohol consumption: Psychosocial and biological methods (pp. 41–72). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
Sobell, L. C., & Sobell, M. B. (1995). Alcohol consumption measures. In J. P. Allen & M. Columbus (Eds.), Assessing alcohol problems: A guide for clinicians and researchers. (pp. 55–73). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Sobell, L. C., Sobell, M. B., Buchan, G., Cleland, P. A., Fedoroff, I., & Leo, G. I. (1996, November). The reliability of the Timeline Followback method applied to drug, cigarette, and cannabis use [Conference presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New York, NY, United States.
Sobell, Linda C., & Sobell, Mark B.
Center for Psychological Studies
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 33314
https://www.nova.edu/timeline/index.html
General References
Cooper, A. M., Sobell, M. B., Sobell, L. C., & Maisto, S. A. (1981). Validity of alcoholic's self-reports: duration data. International Journal of the Addictions, 16(3), 401-406. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826088109038841
Fitzgerald, N. D., Liu, Y., Wang, A., Striley, C. W., Setlow, B., Knackstedt, L., & Cottler, L. B. (2022). Test-retest reliability of a new assessment to detect detailed temporal patterns of polysubstance use. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 31(3), e1912. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1912
Petrilli, K., Lawn, W., Lees, R., Mokrysz, C., Borissova, A., Ofori, S., Trinci, K., Dos Santos, R., Leitch, H., Soni, S., Hines, L. A., Lorenzetti, V., Curran, H. V., & Freeman, T. P. (2024). Addiction, 119(4), 772-783. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16405
Robinson, S. M., Sobell, L. C., Sobell, M. B., & Leo, G. I. (2014). Reliability of the Timeline Followback for cocaine, cannabis, and cigarette use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 28(1), 154-162. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030992
Sobell, L. C., Brown, J., Leo, G. I., & Sobell, M. B. (1996). The reliability of the Alcohol Timeline Followback when administered by telephone and by computer. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 42(1), 49-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/0376-8716(96)01263-x
Sobell, L. C., & Sobell, M. B. (1992). Timeline Followback: A technique for assessing self-reported alcohol consumption. In R. Z. Litten & J. Allen (Eds.), Measuring alcohol consumption: Psychosocial and biological methods (pp. 41-72). New Jersey: Humana Press.
Sobell, L. C., & Sobell, M. B. (1995). Alcohol consumption measures. In J. P. Allen & M. Columbus (Eds.), Assessing alcohol problems: A guide for clinicians and researchers. (pp. 55-73). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Protocol ID
510306
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping |
|---|
Measure Name
Patterns of Substance Use
Release Date
January 30, 2025
Definition
Instruments used separately to assess patterns of substance use in adolescents and adults.
Purpose
The purpose of this measure is to determine patterns of tobacco, binge drinking, and other drug use in adolescents and adults.
Keywords
Alcohol binge drinking alcohol use, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA, National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions NESARC, Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule, AUDADIS, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, ATOS, marijuana, medical cannabis, cocaine, opioids heroin, stimulants, polysubstance use, cannabis, hallucinogen, inhalants, opioids sedatives, stimulants, cocaine
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 510303 | Patterns of Substance Use - Adolescents |
| 510304 | Patterns of Substance Use - Adults - Binge-Drinking |
| 510305 | Patterns of Substance Use – Calendar Based Method for Detailed Cannabis Use |
| 510306 | Patterns of Substance Use - Alcohol and/or Drug Use |
| 510307 | General Cannabis Use |
| 510308 | Cannabis Products, Types, and Modes of Use |
| 510310 | Assessment of Cannabis Use Disorder |