Cross-sectional studies of the course of alcohol problems describe correlates of AUD remissions, but longitudinal studies might better capture the complex, chronic, often fluctuating course of problematic drinking behavior. For example, across a 2-year period, AUDs were shown to have only moderate levels of diagnostic stability with a 15% recurrence rate among those who were initially remitted and a 41% persistence rate among those who were initially diagnosed (Boschloo et al., 2012). Longer studies of remission of alcohol-related problems might be even more informative, but require detailed longitudinal data on high-risk populations to increase the likelihood of observing periods of sustained remission as opposed to shorter fluctuations in the cycle of abstinence.
