Table 3 also supported elements of Hypothesis 4 regarding the role of baseline alcohol problems and prior AUD treatment as well as older age as predictors of Abstinence. Table 2 univariate analyses also offered support for lower LR (higher drinks for effects on the SRE), baseline higher maximum drinks, and higher drug involvement (e.g., the higher number lifetime drug problems). Consistent with Hypothesis 4 and supported by prior papers using different groups of subjects (McCutcheon et al., 2017; Gonçalves et al., 2017), these findings might reflect a more severe course of their AUD for members of Group 4 which might be related to a greater propensity to either stop drinking on their own or enter abstinent-oriented treatment programs. An exception to this pattern is the relatively low usual drinks per occasion, which probably reflected the relatively higher value for this variable for the Problem Drinking Group. The pattern of more severe alcohol problems at baseline predicting later Abstinence is also consistent with several prior papers (e.g., Brennan et al., 2011; Holahan et al., 2017; Smith et al., 1983; Timko et al., 2000).
