COGA and other studies has also shown that many forms of stress (i.e., traumatic life events, SARS epidemic, 9/11 terrorist attacks) are associated with risks for alcohol misuse and problems [53–56], particularly among vulnerable individuals. Some studies examining mechanisms involved in increased stress and recurrence of AUD found an increased likelihood of cravings the evening following a stressful event and an increased likelihood of drinking the day after. Interestingly, these studies found that there is a protective effect for the length of time in recovery. Importantly, previous work has also shown that dimensions of interpersonal and social connections (i.e., romantic relationships, parent-child relationships, peer relationships, social support from religious communities) are associated with protection from alcohol misuse and problems [53–56]. Our findings also demonstrated that, among remitted-abstinent men, relationship quality with family and friends was related to decreases in drunkenness. Further, social disconnection was related to increases in drunkenness among remitted-abstinent women. Other studies have found that while general social support does not appear to be a protective factor against recurrence of AUD, positive familial and close relationship support does help to maintain good long-term AUD outcomes [57]. We note above that increases in the frequency of drunkenness were not
