This study’s finding that AR and NR were equally common outcomes of alcohol dependence after a three-year follow-up also supported an earlier cross-sectional analysis of Wave 1 NESARC data. In that study, the past-year prevalence of AR and NR were 18.2% and 17.7%, respectively, among individuals with an onset of dependence in any prior year (Dawson et al, 2005). The overall higher level of recovery in the earlier study reflects the fact that its longer intervals since first onset provided more time for recovery to have occurred. More than two-thirds of the individuals in the current sample had been dependent for less than five years at baseline, half for less than two years. In contrast, less than one quarter of those in the cross-sectional Wave 1 sample had intervals of less than five years since first onset of dependence. The current study’s replication of AR and NR as equally common outcomes underscores the legitimacy of NR as a viable path to recovery for some dependent individuals.
