Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on February 20, 2006
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2006 41(3):311-314; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agl008
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STABILITY OF REMISSION FROM ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE WITHOUT FORMAL HELP
1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Group S:TEP, University of Lübeck, Lübeck and 2 Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Addiction Research Center, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Tel.: +451 5002871; Fax: +451 5003480 or 5002603; E-mail: h.rumpf{at}ukl.mu-luebeck.de
(Received 19 April 2005; first review notified 16 June 2005; in revised form 17 January 2006; accepted 17 January 2006)
Aims: To determine the stability of remission from alcohol dependence without formal help. Methods: In a cohort of untreated remitters, a follow-up after 24 months was conducted. Participants were recruited through media solicitation and via a general population study. At baseline, all participants (n = 144) fulfilled criteria of remission from alcohol dependence for the previous 12 months without prior use of formal help (sustained full remission according to DSM-IV, neither inpatient nor outpatient treatment, no more than two self help group meetings). Personal interviews were conducted using standardized instruments. Results: In the follow-up period, four individuals died; 92.9% of the remaining participants were re-interviewed (n = 130). Of those interviewed 92.3% showed stable remission without formal help, 1.5% were currently alcohol dependent according to DSM-IV, 1.5% were classified alcohol dependent on grounds of collateral information, 1.5% fulfilled one or two criteria of dependence, and 4.6% utilized formal help. Conclusions: Untreated remission is not a transient phenomenon. Therefore, studying remitters from alcohol dependence without formal help can yield valid information on pathways to recovery.