to new roles, largely without formal treatment. Abstinent individuals were less likely to have a first child than individuals with AUD, possibly reflecting their older age and, also, the higher likelihood among women of being stably separated or divorced. The higher likelihood of stable separation or divorce among abstinent women, but not men, is consistent with findings which suggest that marriage is more beneficial for men with alcohol problems than similar women. In the current study, women who were separated or divorced at baseline, and stayed that way, were more likely than similar men to be abstinent at follow-up, suggesting that being single increased their chances of recovery from AUD. In a 5-year follow-up of problem drinking women, women who had been separated or divorced between assessments had reduced risk of alcohol problems at follow-up compared to those who remained married (Wilsnack et al., 1991). Similarly, evidence from treatment studies suggests that married men have better outcomes following treatment than unmarried men, whereas for women marriage increases the risk of relapse (reviewed in Walitzer and Dearing, 2006). These gender differences regarding the benefits of marriage for individuals attempting to recover from severe AUDs might be interpreted in light of evidence
