Among problem characteristics, participants’ lifetime AUD symptoms were assessed via 11 items drawn from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which conformed to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/nesarc-iii/questionnaire). Affirmative responses were summed to create a count of symptoms (range 1–11). In turn, we created a four-level classification of lifetime AUD severity: sub-clinical (1 symptom); mild (2–3 symptoms); moderate (4–5 symptoms); and severe (6 or more symptoms). Length in recovery was reported by participants as a categorical variable: early recovery (<1 year); intermediate recovery (1–5 years); or long-term recovery (>5 years). We classified participants into three recovery groups based on self-reported lifetime use of 14 different services. The groups consisted of treated recovery (any use of specialty services, such as in-patient or out-patient rehabilitation), assisted recovery (any use of lay services, such as mutual-help groups and no use of specialty services), and independent recovery (no use of specialty nor lay services).
