The PCQ was used to measure patient perception of external and internal pressures to receive treatment for drug and alcohol problems . Patients in both the IA and VA groups reported perceived coercion during the admission process. When categorizing the PCQ scale, we found that, overall, only 14% of patients admitted involuntarily did not report perceiving coercion on any of the subscales, and 92% of patients admitted voluntarily agreed or strongly agreed that they perceived coercion on one or more of the subscales. The Self and Health subscales reflected the strongest sources of perceived coercion (Fig. 1).Fig. 1Distribution of the types of coercion perceived by patients with substance use disorders. Patients that were involuntarily or voluntarily admitted for substance abuse treatment completed the Perceived Coercion Questionnaire. Perceived coercion was defined as a report of ‘Somewhat Agree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’ on one or more subscales of the questionnaire. Numbers within the bars indicate the percentage that corresponds to only one coloured portion of the bar. IA: involuntarily admitted group; VA: voluntarily admitted group