Substance dependence is associated with increased risk of physical and mental illness, disability, lost work productivity, financial problems, perpetrating and suffering violence, accidents, and death [1]. In 2004, 0.5% of disability adjusted life years (DALY) and 0.2% of all deaths worldwide (approximately 91 million deaths) were attributed to substance use disorders (SUDs) [1]. However, a significant proportion of individuals with these disorders achieve remission at some point in their lives [2–8]. Therefore, recognizing the patterns and predictors of remission from substance dependence is essential for increasing our understanding of its natural history, and developing timely prevention and treatment strategies.
