A review of the assessment literature on substance abuse has revealed 27 separate instruments for assessing substance abuse. These include 22 alcohol instruments and five instruments for assessing other drug abuse. The instruments are listed in a table that provides the title, source, description, population, and psychometric properties of each test. These instruments were reviewed for their attention to the various aspects of substance abuse: (1) use history; (2) social impairment; (3) occupational impairment; (4) physical impairment; and (5) legal consequences. Similarities and dissimilarities in the instruments are described. Whether oriented toward alcohol use or other drug use, these instruments tend to have two foci. The first has to do with elucidating the dependence syndrome experienced by the substance abuser. Dependence is characterized by the substance use behavior and its impact on the person. The other focus is the dependence severity focus. This focus assumes a state of dependence and seeks to determine the severity of dependence. Severity ratings are typically composite scores made from the subscales in the severity instruments. Each of the instruments presented in the table has undergone psychometric evaluation and has been found to have general reliability and validity. The instruments reviewed have little to offer in treatment planning, and much more work is needed to develop instruments with predictive validity for dependency development. An 83-item list of references is included. (SLD)