The current study had several limitations. One is the relatively small group of non-problem users (N = 103). However, this is the first study that we know of that has examined relapse by non-problem use versus abstinence status in treatment clients which includes drugs other than alcohol. Another limitation is that this study uses observational data so we are unable to attribute causality to the significant covariates. We note that the relationship of longer treatment stays and 12-step participation may be partially due to higher levels of an unmeasured factor such as motivation, despite attempts to control for potential confounders including measures of motivation (i.e., abstinence goals) and alcohol and drug severity. We were also limited by our available data for our measure of remission which incorporates measurement of substance-related problems including problems with friends or family, violent behavior, or suicidal ideations; we had only a past-month measurement for these aspects of remission. Moreover, our measurement of non-problem use versus abstinence at 1-year post-treatment was limited to past month alcohol and drug use. Yet, we did examine agreement between the
