One of the primary clinical implications derived from the current study is that for individuals who received alcohol treatment the probability of returning to pretreatment patterns of frequent, uncontrolled drinking was much lower than the probability of more successful outcomes. Yet, individuals with greater alcohol-dependence symptoms were highly susceptible to heavy drinking following the initial posttreatment drinking episode and were not likely to remain in the moderate-infrequent or nondrinking class. Thus, moderate drinking goals may not be appropriate for individuals with higher levels of alcohol dependence.
