Recovery was determined for the 12 months preceding the Wave 2 NESARC follow-up interview. Individuals were positive for abstinent recovery (AR) if they did not consume any alcohol during this period. They were positive for nonabstinent recovery (NR) if they consumed alcohol but a) did not endorse any Wave 2 past-year DSM-IV alcohol dependence or abuse symptoms or severe headaches when getting over drinking (not a DSM-IV withdrawal symptom but considered contraindicative of recovery in prior NESARC analyses) and b) did not exceed the NIAAA low-risk drinking limits (NIAAA, 2005, 2009): for men, ≤14 drinks per week on average and ≤4 drinks on any day; for women, ≤7 drinks per week on average and ≤3 drinks on any day. Average number of weekly drinks was calculated from multiple questions on quantity and frequency of drinking (Dawson, 2003). Maximum number of drinks consumed on any day in the past year was asked directly.
