Because most studies investigating psychological profiles of subjects convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) have been conducted at the time of arrest or treatment, it is unclear whether subjects' anxiety, depression, and hostility represent "trait" characteristics central to alcohol abuse or "state" responses to arrest and treatment. A study was conducted to examine affective, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of individuals arrested for alcohol-related offenses. Self-report demographic questionnaires and psychological inventories were completed by 32 males who had a history of arrest for DUI or public intoxication and by 32 matched comparison subjects. The results indicated that alcohol-specific variables such as social and escapist reasons for drinking and severity of problems associated with consumption were superior to measures of emotional distress and sensation seeking in predicting group membership. The two groups were not found to differ significantly on measures of depression, anxiety, or self-esteem. Moreover, self-reported average alcohol intake did not signficantly distinguish between arrest and comparison groups. These findings suggest that alcohol offenders may be distinguished from nonoffenders less by their patterns of alcohol consumption or psychological distress than by maladaptive beliefs about the appropriate use of alcohol. These offenders might benefit from cognitive behavioral therapies. (NB)