follow-up, and 48 of the remainder were still alcoholic.31 Another study of 207 alcoholics followed from 40 to 50 years, finds 23% were deceased and of 137 survivors who were followed, 48% were still alcoholic.32 Other studies find rates ranging from 26% to 68%.30 It should be noted that these are studies of treated alcoholics. Only about one quarter of the present population received any treatment services for substance use or mental health problems. Another study using survey data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions examined recovery from DSM-IV alcohol dependence. Among U.S. adults 18 years of age or older with prior alcohol dependence, 14.5% were still dependent 10–19 years after onset.33 Among those who were treated, 27.3% were still dependent after 10–19 years, and of those never treated 9.4% were still dependent. These statistics are not entirely comparable to our sample, that includes those with alcohol or drug abuse or dependence.
