Abstract Adolescent alcohol use is a significant problem. Recent evidence suggests that an individual’s belief that God directly controls his or her alcohol use (i.e., alcohol- related God/Higher Power control) may have particular importance as a protective factor against alcohol use and abuse. However, this relationship has not been investigated in adolescents as there are no appropriate measures to examine such beliefs. To address this need, the present study developed and evaluated a measure of alcohol-related God/Higher Power control beliefs for adolescents (AGLOC-A). African American adolescents (N = 356) completed a questionnaire containing the AGLOC-A, alcohol-related internal control beliefs, and frequency of alcohol use and binge drinking in the past 30 days. Findings supported the AGLOC-A as a reliable and valid measure with AGLOC-A scores inversely related to alcohol involvement and distinct from religiosity and social desirability. Alcohol-related God/Higher Power control beliefs may be a useful protective factor against adolescent alcohol use and abuse. Keywords Measurement development Æ Locus of control Æ Religiosity Æ Adolescents Æ Alcohol Use/Abuse K. Goggin (&) Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 4825 Troost, Ste. 111-D, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA e-mail: goggink@umkc.edu T. S. Murray Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University—Mansfield, Mansfield, OH, USA V. L. Malcarne Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA S. A. Brown Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, University of California—San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA K. A. Wallston School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA Cogn Ther Res (2007) 31:111–122 DOI 10.1007/s10608-006-9091-0 123 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Do Religious and Control Cognitions Predict Risky Behavior? I. Development and Validation of the Alcohol-related God Locus of Control Scale for Adolescents (AGLOC-A) Kathy Goggin Æ Thomas S. Murray Æ Vanessa L. Malcarne Æ Sandra A. Brown Æ Kenneth A. Wallston Published online: 21 February 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007