The AWARE Questionnaire (Advance WArning of RElapse) was designed as a measure of the warning signs of relapse, as described by Gorski (Gorski & Miller, 1982). In a prospective study of relapse following outpatient treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence (Miller et al., 1996) we found the AWARE score to be a good predictor of the occurrence of relapse (r = .42, p < .001). With subsequent analyses, we refined the scale from its 37-item original version to the current 28-item scale (version 3.0) (Miller & Harris, 2000).

The items are arranged in the order of occurrence of warning signs, as hypothesized by Gorski. In our prospective study, however, we found no evidence that the warning signs actually occur in this order in real time (Miller & Harris, 2000). Rather, the total score was the best predictor of impending relapse.