Drug Use Motives Questionnaire Test

Understand what drives drug use and dependence in about 9 minutes. A focused 45-item profile supports screening, tracking change, and guiding prevention or treatment.

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Questions: 459 minutes

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08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

15,165 views

1,282 completions

1,022 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/25

Self-Harm (SH)

Measures the extent to which drug use is motivated by self-directed or retaliatory harm, protest, and a reduced sense of meaning in sobriety.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 13 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting self-harm-related motives are present at a noticeable but not dominant level compared with other possible reasons for use.

example score

19/25

Addictive Motives (AM)

Measures the strength of conscious, craving-driven motivation to use drugs that can reflect emerging dependence processes.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 19 falls in the High range, suggesting a pronounced, conscious urge to use drugs that may be persistent and difficult to resist.

example score

19/25

Withdrawal Relief (WR)

Measures the extent to which drug use is motivated by relieving discomfort or withdrawal-like abstinence symptoms.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 19 falls in the High range, suggesting drug use is strongly driven by attempts to reduce abstinence-related discomfort.

example score

11/25

Hyperactivation (H)

This scale measures the extent to which drug use is motivated by seeking stimulation, escaping boredom, or boosting activity and efficiency.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 11 falls in the Low range, suggesting hyperactivation-related motives are relatively minimal compared with other possible reasons for use.

example score

15/25

Ataractic Motives (AM)

Measures the extent to which drug use is motivated by reducing anxiety, fear, tension, or other negative emotions.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 15 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting that using drugs to dampen negative emotions is a noticeable but not dominant motive.

example score

19/25

Hedonistic Motives (HM)

Measures the extent to which drug use is driven by seeking pleasure, euphoria, and novel sensations.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 19 falls in the High range, suggesting pleasure/euphoria and sensation-seeking are prominent motives for use compared with other reasons.

example score

16/25

Pseudo-Cultural Motives (PCM)

Measures the extent to which drug use is motivated by fitting into a youth subculture where using is seen as normal or valued.

Low influence

Moderate influence

High influence

5 – 11: Low influence | 12 – 18: Moderate influence | 19 – 25: High influence

A score of 16 indicates a moderate pseudo-cultural influence, suggesting subcultural norms may play a noticeable role in the person’s reasons for use.

example score

14/25

Submissive (S)

Measures the extent to which drug use is driven by compliance with pressure from significant others or a group.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting some tendency for drug use to be influenced by social pressure or expectations.

example score

16/25

Traditional (T)

Measures the extent to which drug use is driven by holiday-related or tradition-based social norms and rituals.

Low

Moderate

High

5 – 11: Low | 12 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 25: High

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting drug use may sometimes be tied to holidays or customary social occasions rather than being a consistently dominant motive.

example score

145/225

Overall Motivational Strain (OMS)

Measures the overall intensity of drug-use motivations as a combined indicator of involvement in drug-related behavior.

Low

Moderate

High

45 – 104: Low | 105 – 164: Moderate | 165 – 225: High

A score of 145 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable overall motivational pull toward drug use compared with lower scores.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Counselors and Therapists

41%OF USERS

They use it to quickly identify a client’s main reasons for using and track how motives shift during counseling or treatment.

Addiction Program Staff

34%OF USERS

They apply it in screening and ongoing monitoring to inform intervention plans and measure changes in dependence-related patterns.

Youth Outreach Workers

25%OF USERS

They use it with teens and young adults at risk to understand what drives use and tailor prevention or support conversations.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

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an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Self-harm (S)

Average

12.7

Normal range

9.6 — 15.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Addictive (A)

Average

16.6

Normal range

13.3 — 19.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Abstinence Symptoms (AS)

Average

12.4

Normal range

9.1 — 15.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Hyperactivations (H)

Average

10.9

Normal range

7.4 — 14.4

min.

max.

Majority

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Ataractic (A)

Average

Normal range

13.3 — 18.8

min.

max.

Majority

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Hedonistic (H)

Average

Normal range

7.2 — 14.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Pseudocultural (P)

Average

15.3

Normal range

11.8 — 18.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Submissive (S)

Average

12.6

Normal range

9.3 — 15.9

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Traditional (T)

Average

Normal range

11.6 — 18.4

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

General motivational tension (Gmt)

Average

152

Normal range

123.6 — 180.5

min.

max.

225

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures the relative strength of nine common motives for drug use and includes an index of dependence level. Results describe patterns of motivation and risk factors, not a diagnosis.

How long does it take and what is the format?

It takes about 9 minutes to complete. It includes 45 items with brief statements about reasons and situations related to use.

Who can complete it?

It can be used with adolescents and adults in screening, counseling, or monitoring contexts. It is intended for individuals who can read and respond reliably to self-report items.

How should responses be selected?

Select the response that best matches typical behavior or experience, not the most recent or most extreme event. Answer every item and avoid spending too much time on any single question.

How are results used in practice?

Scores highlight which motives are most prominent and whether dependence indicators are elevated. Results can support treatment planning, prevention targeting, and tracking change over time.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Drug Use Motives Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

addiction deviant behavior addiction medicine drug addiction

This measure is designed to assess reasons an individual may use substances and to support case formulation in clinical or prevention settings. The Drug Use Motives Questionnaire helps characterize motivational patterns associated with substance use and can inform treatment planning and risk reduction discussions.

The instrument includes 45 items and typically takes about 9 minutes to complete. It is commonly used to profile multiple domains of use motives (e.g., social, coping, enhancement) and to monitor changes in motivational drivers over time; results are intended to complement, not replace, diagnostic evaluation. The Drug Use Motives Questionnaire was developed by Alan W. Stacy and Kenneth J. Sher.

Author: Alan W. Stacy, Kenneth J. Sher

Literature: Cooper, M. L. Motivations for alcohol use among adolescents: Development and validation of a four-factor model. Psychological Assessment. 1994.

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