Can alcohol use disorder recovery include some heavy drinking?

An article has been published in the journal “Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research” titled “Can alcohol use disorder recovery include some heavy drinking? A replication and extension up to 9 years following treatment.” This fascinating paper followed up a cohort of people in treatment for alcohol disorders. The researchers found that despite the common view that abstinence was required in order to see improvements in life functioning, a significant subset of people continued to engage in heavy drinking yet reported similar psychosocial, employment, life satisfaction and mental health outcomes as those who chose to be abstinent. This study highlights the importance of considering beyond simplistic measures that only assess substance use, and instead consider the outcomes on important life domains.

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