LONG-TERM COURSE OF TREATED AND UNTREATED ALCOHOL ABUSE

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APPLICANT'S ABSTRACT: The purpose of this project is to describe the long-term course of treated and untreated alcohol abuse, and to examine how participation in professional treatment, and/or self-help groups, and life history and life context factors, influence the process of remission and relapse. The objectives are to: (1) compare alcohol-related, and psychological/social outcomes among individuals with alcohol use disorders who enter professional treatment with outcomes among untreated individuals; (2) focus on the outcome of participation in self-help groups with and without professional treatment; and examine the role of (3) stress and coping processes, life history factors, and (4) gender differences in the course of treated and untreated alcohol abuse. To pursue these objectives, the project involves a 16-year follow-up of individuals with alcohol use disorders who were previously studied at baseline and at 1-, 3-, and 8-year follow-ups. The plan is to (1) compare the 16-year course of treated and untreated alcohol abuse; (2) examine 16-year patterns of participation in self-help groups, with and without involvement in professional treatment, and relate these patterns to the process of remission and relapse; (3) examine stress and coping processes and life history factors among treated and untreated individuals, and (4) examine gender differences in the predictors and course of alcohol abuse.