Relatively little is known about drinking patterns decades later for older persons with earlier AUDs (Falk et al., 2010; Gastfriend et al., 2007). One potential desirable outcome for any age group is Abstinence, which is a goal for most AUD treatment programs, especially for people with alcohol dependence (Center for Behavioral Health State and Quality [SAMHSA], 2015; Probst et al., 2015), although this is a relatively narrow perspective on recovery. Another positive outcome involves extended periods of non-problem drinking with quantities consumed that conform to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) guidelines for Low-Risk Drinking (McCutcheon et al., 2017; Witkiewitz et al., 2017a,b). On the other hand, adverse outcomes include exceeding Low-Risk Drinking limits in the absence of multiple alcohol problems (High-Risk Drinking), and drinking associated with multiple problems (Problem Drinking). Both of these adverse outcomes are likely to be associated with potentially serious health problems and early death (e.g., Holahan et al., 2010; Kendler et al., 2016; Moore et al., 2007; Shield et al., 2018).
