Remission from AUD was defined in accordance with DSM-5 sustained remission as having met none of the AUD criteria for at least one full year at the follow-up interview. Remitted individuals who reported not having drunk any alcohol for at least one full year were classified as “abstinent remitted”. Individuals who were still drinking were considered “remitted low-risk drinkers” if their current alcohol consumption fell within NIAAA-defined low-risk drinking guidelines (men: no more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 drinks per week; women: no more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 drinks per week ; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2010). Finally, subjects with no current AUD symptoms but whose alcohol consumption exceeded low risk drinking were classified as high-risk drinkers. Follow-up status was represented by a 4-level variable: (1) persistent AUD (1 or more current AUD symptoms), (2) high-risk drinking, (3) remitted low-risk drinking, and (4) abstinent remitted. Although DSM-5 criteria state that craving may be present in remission, none of the remitted subjects in this sample reported craving.
